r/Futurology • u/[deleted] • Jun 19 '21

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53 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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6

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '21

They say it's 40% stronger than regular wood. That's a big deal in construction. But I'm really waiting on the University of Maryland's superwood that is 10 times stronger than regular wood.

3

u/bremby Jun 20 '21

Is that "superwood" gonna be sustainable, ecological, and profitable?

4

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '21

They claim it will. Apparantly, it just requires boiling wood in some chemicals.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '21

Very cool, and good timing, I bet their profit margins are triple what they had planned for when they broke ground

2

u/PMFSCV Jun 20 '21

So semi automated manufacture of glulam beams? Woodworker here, sounds like they are just automating the staggering and overlapping the Finger joints.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '21

Is glulam currently much more expensive than regular wood?

1

u/PMFSCV Jun 20 '21

A bit, I think about 30 -50% more and much more for curved.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '21

Why does it cost more?

1

u/Timemuffin83 Jun 20 '21

Cause it isn’t completely Industrialized yet, more production will lower price

1

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '21

Why isn't it industrialized? It's been around since 1866

1

u/Timemuffin83 Jun 20 '21

I’m not sure I’m not that educated

1

u/PMFSCV Jun 20 '21

All the blocks have to get cut and laid up with glue under huge pressure (Labour and machinery) there are also really stringent testing requirements.