Additive Manufacturing of Natural Materials (2024-08)¶

As additive manufacturing (AM) technology continues to advance for computer-aided design and engineering applications, a parallel imperative emerges — a conscientious shift towards more responsible material practices, aligning with ethical, environmental, and social sustainability considerations. The present systematic review analyzes the state-of-the-art developments in relation to AM using natural, low-carbon, and readily available material practices. The results show that published work is situated at the intersection of material science, digital fabrication, and construction, with an array of geo-, bio-, and living mix designs, and different properties analyzed. Under certain conditions, a move towards more use of natural materials could be the solution to source more responsible materials while contributing to the quality of the built environment and the planet Earth itself. The long-term contribution is to provide leading guidance for future research aimed at developing novel and bespoke natural materials in digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing.