Australian technology is satisfying a global need for sustainably sourced hardwood. By Dr. Cameron Chai.
Have you ever been told to surround yourself with experts to help you grow professionally? Let the story of Peter Torreele and 3RT be a case study for you as he and his collaborators developed a technology and a complete manufacturing solution despite being told it couldn’t be done.
The technology they developed enables the production of hardwood timber materials that appear and behave just like natural timber using sustainably sourced juvenile plantation raw materials and nanotechnology. As a result, they avoid the need to log old growth forests that often contain trees over 100 years old. 3RT’s timber is now squarely aimed at filling a market need with technology that can be adopted anywhere in the world.
The 3RT journey started back in 2014 when Peter Torreele, now Managing Director of 3RT, identified a growing demand for timber building materials while native forest logging was increasingly being banned. This was also being driven by a need for an alternative to high energy-intensive materials such as metals and concrete to reduce carbon emissions. While hardwoods are very desirable, the supply of these timbers is diminishing as governments seek to comply with the international forestry certifier, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) banning the import of timber derived from old-growth forests. PEFC went further in 2022 and banned “conflict timber”, timber imported from Russia and Belarus. To illustrate the impact that will have on local supplies, Australia imported $80m worth of timber from Russia alone.
Torreele was inspired by the concept of strand woven bamboo flooring and sought to replicate this type of product using other sustainable timber species. He partnered with Flinders University’s Department of Nanotechnology and Materials Science to biomimic the growing of a tree.
Working with researchers from Flinders University, they developed technology that allows them to convert abundantly available, juvenile wood into products with properties that exceed those of mature trees from old-growth forests. Henkel assisted in the development of the water-based Nanoglue. The raw material can be sustainably sourced from juvenile plantations, which would be otherwise used for low-value applications like woodchips used to create low-value materials like particle board and MDF which utilise formaldehyde adhesives. In contrast, their newly developed timber uses no toxic chemicals or solvents and is completely recyclable and culminates in a higher value product.
By 2016 they had applied for Global Provisional Patents to protect their intellectual property and had begun designing the equipment required to take their manual lab-based process to the pilot plant scale. By 2018, they had been granted 14 patents globally, with another 10 pending. Recognising the potential, the South Australian government awarded them a grant which enabled them to establish their own research facility in Adelaide, which has become the 3RT Innovation Centre. This includes an R&D line and a first generation Digital Production Unit. In doing so, they were able to prove their production concept and demonstrate the commercial viability having tested it on many dozens of timber species with many local customers.
At this point, 3RT were ready to scale their process and they turned to Bosch Australia Manufacturing Solutions (BAMS), part of the multinational Bosch organisation with a history extending over more than 137 years. This particular business unit has an interesting history as well. Originally servicing the automotive industry, they needed to pivot with the demise of local car manufacturing.
As it turned out, BAMS was an ideal fit for 3RT, having many years of expertise in process design, automation and Industry 4.0. They also brought to the table the instant credibility of their global parent organisation along with their global footprint which could be called upon to support installation across the globe. 3RT’s name stems from the three R’s of sustainability, reduce, reuse and recycle. This mentality and the potential to roll out sustainable technology internationally resonated with the Bosch ethos and culture who were excited to partner with 3RT.
When asked about how they approached the 3RT project, Andrew Bartlett, Strategic Project Manager at BAMS responded, “3RT’s process is unique. The process and equipment blocks required were known quantities and we were still able to apply our automation experience around this. For us the real challenge was working with a natural product as opposed to an engineered product which introduced more variability.” He went further to add, “The technology was fairly well-defined, so there was no need to redesign the core processes. Rather, we applied our industrial knowledge to refine the process to improve cycle times, create a robust and reliable system and reduce scrap. In doing so, we optimised throughput and created a reliable process that is capable of 24/7 production.”
The industrialisation project ended up taking longer than expected as it took place during the height of the COVID pandemic. While the lockdowns were inconvenient, their issues were a consequence of supply chains and obtaining equipment due to delays in production and shipping. However, the importance of a local partner was highlighted with international travel off-limits. Close collaboration kept the project in motion and the entire integration was completed domestically.
Working together, 3RT and BAMS were able to design a highly automated production workflow with a compact footprint that is easily deployable globally. Sourcing best-in-class pieces of equipment from around the world, these were integrated and automated by BAMS using advanced robotics and smart automation. The resultant modular manufacturing plant is capable of producing timber slabs 2600x300x500mm weighing in the vicinity of 300kg each at the rate of two blocks every nine minutes. The highly automated nature of their process means it only needs three people to run it. In fact the only human intervention required is the loading of raw materials, unloading of finished product and quality control. The process itself is customisable and can be adapted for locally sourced materials.
These resultant scientifically engineered blocks can then be cut down into smaller sections which can be used for both decorative and structural applications such as:
- Beams and posts
• Window and door frames
• Doors
• Decking
• Paneling
• Cladding and battens
• Flooring
• Step treads and handrails
• Indoor and outdoor furniture
3RT’s process has a recovery rate of over 80% which compared to 31% for a traditional sawmill. As would be expected from an engineered product, the properties of 3RT’s timber are more consistent and reliable, with fewer defects. The absence of sawdust also represents a step change for the industry. Their product also inherits the natural characteristics such as termite resistance, fire resistance etc. of the source timber. Another advantage of their process is the ability to tailor products by mixing timber species to achieve specific properties or appearances.
The plug-and-play digital production units have also been designed such that they can be rolled out anywhere in the world. The modular design allows them to be installed near the source materials to minimise the carbon footprint of the process by minimizing transport. Increasing production capacity is simply a case of adding additional modules.
Ashraf Abdelmoteleb, Head of IoT Technology and Business Operations at 3RT also added, “3RT are actively looking to license their technology. We are interested in building long-term partnerships with companies that want to implement our technology. We will be offering full support for any installation. Using the latest IoT technology, we can remotely monitor any plant, offer preventative maintenance and ongoing process optimisation.” In addition, the 3RT innovation Center provides customised R&D support, allowing customers to develop their own bespoke wood products.
At present 3RT is in the growth phase. Their pilot plant in Adelaide has successfully demonstrated that their patented process can produce timber products that mimic the look, feel and properties of hardwoods. They can achieve in one day, what nature takes 50 to 100 to produce, while preserving forests and natural habitats. They can also use the pilot plant to demonstrate to potential clients how the process can be applied to source timbers from anywhere around the world.
The Adelaide plant is also geared up to produce decorative and structural timber products for a select group of customers in Australia. While their first plant is due to be commissioned in Belgium before the end of the year, 3RT has plans to have 50 plants up and running around the world in the next ten years, a goal that seems achievable with the increasing demand for timber as a sustainable and carbon-friendly building material. This is no doubt the beginning of a long-term relationship between 3RT and BAMS that will see Australian manufacturing technology exported the world over.
Peter Torreele had the final word, adding “we are extremely proud of the technology that we have developed working with Flinders University, Henkel and BAMS. Our solution fulfills the demand for low carbon, toxin-free building materials, reduces native forest depletion and helps to secure the reliability of global supply chains.”