Maine needs more homes. University of Maine researchers are working on a way to build them faster and more efficiently.
Four years after unveiling the world’s first fully bio-based, 3D-printed house, UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center is partnering with Penquis, a Maine-based nonprofit, to produce up to nine homes in the Greater Bangor area.
The homes will be built in three stages, allowing researchers to test each round, make adjustments and apply those lessons to the next.
The project will use the Factory of the Future within UMaine’s new GEM facility to determine how BioHome3D can move from a one-home demonstration to a repeatable manufacturing system.
The work is supported by $4 million in Congressionally Directed Spending secured by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
ASCC Executive Director Habib Dagher describes the long-term vision as a “Ford factory of homes” — a highly automated system capable of producing housing faster, more efficiently and at much greater volume.
“We’ve already demonstrated that we can build the house,” Dagher said. “Now the challenge is how do we scale this technology so we can manufacture homes faster, more efficiently and in much greater numbers.”
What has changed since 2022 is UMaine’s manufacturing capacity. When BioHome3D development began, the university’s system deposited material at about 100 pounds per hour. Its newer large-scale printer can operate at roughly 500 pounds per hour, and future equipment is expected to reach about 1,000 pounds per hour.
The Factory of the Future gives researchers the capacity to test those higher production speeds and more automated manufacturing processes than were possible when the first BioHome3D was created.
That increased capacity could be especially important in Maine, where the housing shortage is compounded by a limited construction workforce. Moving more of the building process into an automated manufacturing environment could allow more homes to be produced without requiring a proportional increase in on-site labor.
“This project is about much more than nine homes,” Dagher said. “Those homes give us an opportunity to validate and improve the manufacturing system we would need to ultimately produce housing at a much larger scale.”
UMaine unveiled the 600-square-foot BioHome3D prototype in November 2022. Its floors, walls and roof were 3D-printed using material made from wood fiber and bio-resins, creating a new use for residual wood from Maine sawmills.
The prototype was manufactured in three six-sided modules, transported to the site and secured on its foundation in about half a day. It has since gone through three Maine winters as researchers continue to monitor its durability and long-term performance.
The partnership with Penquis will bring the next generation of BioHome3D homes into the Greater Bangor community, giving researchers an opportunity to evaluate repeated production while adding housing in the region.
“Housing remains a significant challenge in communities across Maine, and this project offers an opportunity to explore an innovative approach to creating additional housing,” said Lawrence Rogers, housing development director at Penquis. “Significant planning work has already been completed, including selecting architectural and engineering partners. This funding represents meaningful progress toward advancing the project and achieving our broader mission of expanding affordable housing.”
As researchers work toward wider use of the technology, BioHome3D must also meet the requirements needed to move beyond the research setting.
“Safety has to be built into the technology as we scale it,” Dagher said. “That means developing fire-resistant materials and completing additional testing necessary to demonstrate that these homes can meet the standards required for broader use.”
Each group of homes will give researchers another opportunity to evaluate the system under real-world conditions and incorporate what they learn into the next round. Those results will help determine what is needed to move BioHome3D toward a manufacturing model capable of producing housing at greater scale.
Dagher said support from Maine’s congressional delegation is helping UMaine take that next step.
“This marks a major milestone for UMaine’s BioHome3D technology. Thanks to Senator Collins and Maine’s congressional delegation, and our industry partners, we have critical support to help address urgent housing needs locally and nationally,” Dagher said. “By combining local sawmill waste with cutting-edge additive manufacturing, we are demonstrating how code-compliant, sustainable housing can be produced faster and more efficiently.”
Contact: MJ Gautrau, MJ@composites.maine.edu
