3D printed furniture sounds interesting idea especially with the major usage of 3D printing in different industries. The new initiative by 4 AXYZ company is to use wood-based filament as the 3D printing material for furniture pieces such as tables and chairs.
More about this experience: http://www.3dprintingpin.com/3d-printed-furnitures-with-wood-materials/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUh5q2UQwGU
That what I’d like instead of plastic for prototyping due to better than plastic (melt quickly in a fire and release very deadly toxin) tolerance of resisting fire (wood burn only where exposed, inside of it will not burn until exposed itself, will only release carbon dioxide when on fire, absorb carbon dioxide otherwise).
Mostly useful for prototypes where you want to burn it down if it fail or unnecessary.
@Eric_ErFillion_Filli well, such “wood filament” is still composed of 40-60% of plastic, so as to bind the wood fibers. It would be extremely brittle otherwise. I agree it makes a very nice candidate for prototyping, but it won’t be as sturdy as other plastics, and it is probably harder to recycle because of the carbonized wood particles.
I wrote an in-depth review here if you want more http://www.tridimake.com/2012/12/3d-printing-plastic-filaments-kinds-and.html But still, you can print non-toxic plastic: as opposed to ABS, Nylon or other polyethylene, have a look at PLA (polylactic acid). It is a friendly and organic-only plastic (starch and sugar). However the pigments are usually not well documented, and they may be toxic.
@Eric_ErFillion_Filli @Jeremie_Francois Thank you for the information. Many think that he new 3D printing technology is more suitable for rapid prototyping, which is fine as a new technology in the industry. But I am sure there will be more enhancements on the near future to overcome all these concerns.