ITALY - Solid World Group S.p.A., parent of a leading digital technologies, 3D printing and additive manufacturing Group, announces that it has begun distribution in Italy of the first 3D printer that uses sawdust as an additive material.

SolidManufacturing, a Group business unit based in Bentivoglio (BO), will oversee distribution. The 3D printer model is the “Shop System Forust Edition” from the US company Desktop Metal, the first in the world capable of using sawdust.

Using a combination of two wood industry by-products, namely lignin and sawdust, the machine can produce isotropic and sustainable wooden parts from waste materials deriving from trees used, for example, in house construction and furnishing components.

Among the most significant areas of use is the automotive industry, where the 3D printer can be used to make wooden parts for car interiors. The printer also allows objects or components to be produced for consumer sectors, interior design, furniture and musical instruments. Print management and design is digitized using Desktop Metal’s “ Shop System Forust Edition”: Solid World Group’s proprietary software allows both the design of parts to be printed and management of the additive manufacturing process, meaning the user is free to create the part and manufacture it according to their needs.

The first company in Italy to use this innovative printer is Trentino Sviluppo SPA, a company in the Autonomous Province of Trento that provides business support, innovation and territorial marketing. The printer is in the process of being installed and will be operational by early summer.

SolidWorld Group S.p.A. is the parent of a group of 11 companies founded in the early 2000s by engineer Roberto Rizzo. The Group is a leading developer and integrator of the latest and most comprehensive digital 3D software and hardware for manufacturing companies, supporting and accelerating their journey to Industry 4.0.