Selective Growth Mechanism (SGM). Powder bed 3D printing with mycelium-based materials

This paper presents a novel approach to 3D print heterogeneous, reusable 3D-printed structures that integrate the morphological characteristics of natural mycelium growth combined with precision injection 3D printing, enabling the creation of objects with varied and tailored properties. Current 3D printing methods involving mycelium are primarily constrained to extruding materials with homogeneous properties, leading to concentrated growth along outer boundaries. In contrast, the proposed method facilitates controlled growth and incorporates monitoring chamber equipped with sensors and a camera, functioning similarly to a bioreactor, that tracks mycelial behaviour in real time. This technique advances the understanding of mycelial growth dynamics and the parameters influencing it, offering a foundation for the design of increasingly complex, biologically derived components in the future.