Clay and Plastic in One Print: WASP Develops Dual Extrusion Tech

Italian 3D printer manufacturer WASP is developing a dual-extrusion technology designed to combine natural materials with plastic reinforcements in a single build cycle. The patent-pending approach pairs earth-based pastes with thermoplastics, allowing layer-by-layer switching while ensuring the materials can be separated and recycled after use.

Combining Earth and Thermoplastics

WASP's method bridges two distinct additive manufacturing processes:

• Liquid Deposition Modeling (LDM) for extruding clay and soil-based mixtures.
• Fused Granulate Fabrication (FGF) for melting and depositing plastic pellets.

By alternating between these extruders, the machine can build the bulk of an object using locally sourced natural paste and reinforce structural zones with a plastic matrix. Once the product reaches the end of its functional life, the thermoplastic elements can be detached from the earth-based body, avoiding mixed-waste disposal.

What It Means for Makers

For makers working with standard desktop machines like Bambu Lab, Prusa, or Creality systems, working with raw clay or pellet extrusion is rare. FGF toolheads require high melting capacity, and clay extrusion demands specialized paste delivery and post-processing.

However, WASP’s project reflects a broader trend toward functional hybrid manufacturing. In everyday home printing, makers achieve similar outcomes through multi-material setups or multi-part assemblies: combining rigid frames with flexible dampers, or using soluble supports to build complex geometries. The key lesson here is resource efficiency — placing stronger materials precisely where mechanical loads demand them, rather than making an entire object from solid polymer.

Practical Takeaway

While industrial systems explore printing with raw soil and pellets, desktop makers can apply the same logic to daily projects:

• Design with material separation in mind, especially when combining different polymers or hardware.
• Use slicing features like adaptive infill and modifier meshes to place dense plastic only where stress concentrates.
• Choose reliable, consistent materials suited to the application, such as PETG or PLA from Queen Print, to minimize print failures and material waste.

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Source: 南极熊 Nanjixiong (CN)