Firm Believes Tech Can Alleviate Labor Shortages, More

3D from page 8

Making Low-Income Homes Possible

BioHome3D uses the kind of technology that can alleviate labor shortages and supply chain issues that are driving inflated costs and constricting the supply of affordable housing. As UMaine’s team puts it, there is less time needed for onsite building and fitting up the home because of the automated manufacturing that takes place off-site.

By using abundant, renewable and locally sourced wood fiber feedstock and the advanced manufacturing processes and materials developed at the university, future homebuilders could potentially reduce their dependence on a nonsustainable supply chain. That could make low-income homes more accessible and possible while being suitable to their owners’ space needs and desires.

“Importantly, as the manufacturing technology and materials production are scaled up, homebuyers can expect faster delivery schedules,” UMaine’s ASCC noted on its website. BioHome3D was developed with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hub and Spoke program, a partnership initiated in 2016 between UMaine and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee. Other organizations involved include MaineHousing and the Maine Technology Institute.

Madawaska/Edmundston International Bridge finishes this fall, engineers estimate the new span to last for at least 100 years. The landmark will have some interesting features, including a flagpole in the middle of the bridge bearing the flags of both the United

States and Canada. Picard said that with some lighting installed underneath the structure, the bridge will be illuminated at night, allowing for residents and visitors to see the span from both Main Street in Madawaska, and from the Canadian side. 

ORNL awarded $7.6 million to the University of Maine System in December for Phase 3 of the Hub and Spoke Program. This phase will focus on continuing the development of sustainable, structurally reinforced materials while expanding into functionally modified bio-based materials using a wider range of materials, in addition to workforce development through a new Hub and Spoke program for undergraduates.