Extrudable Bio-Pastes

These early tests investigate pastes made with ingredients including sawdust, seaweed, eggshell powder and semolina. The interest is in how a mixture can pass through an extrusion system, retain a form and change as it dries.

A material that prints once is not necessarily ready to use. Preparation, consistency, cracking and handling all matter, especially if the process is eventually to be shared in a workshop.

The experiments draw on published biomaterial recipes, including work by Fiona Bell, Camila Friedman-Gerlicz and Leah Buechley. The next questions concern repeatable preparation and how the materials behave beyond the first print.