ORNL 3D Prints Nesting Structures for Endangered Bats

Additive manufacturing has been playing an increasingly important role in endangered animal conservation. Earlier this fall, 3Dnatives reported on 3D printed bird decoys to encourage nesting among endangered seabirds, and now, just last week, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory revealed their work with biomaterials to 3D print artificial nesting structures for bats.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is located in Tennessee, a state that’s also home to several species of endangered tree roosting bats. The bats’ impact might go under the radar because they are nocturnal, but bats play a critical role in maintaining balanced ecosystems. According to the United States Geological Survey, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control by eating insects. Estimates range from 3.7 to 53 billion dollars annually—and that’s not even accounting for costs saved by bats eating insects in forests, or their importance as crop and plant pollinators.

A prototype of the 3D printed nesting site for bats (Photo credits: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy)

Conservationists have attempted to support endangered bat populations with traditional artificial nesting sites These man-made nests often succeed in attracting bats. However, they can come with unwanted side effects: they can attract too many bats, and once settled, these bats won’t leave.

Evin Carter, ORNL wildlife ecologist, explained why this is a problem. “Attracting a large number of an endangered species to one area carries significant risks, from disease to catastrophic weather events, which could wipe out the entire population.”

So, How Does 3D Printing Nesting Structures Offer a Solution?

The secret lies in the material. In a tree-roosting bat’s natural nesting site, signs of decaying bark or other environmental signals make it periodically seek new shelter. This is good for circulating a population and preventing overcrowding. The traditionally manufactured nesting structures, made with synthetic materials, decay so slowly that the bats don’t move on to other shelters. By contrast, ORNL’s 3D printed artificial nesting structures are made of pine wood flour and polylactic acid polymer—a biodegradable material.

ORNL’s artificial nesting structures are designed to limit the number of bats per roost, and will more closely mimic natural habitats. They’ve printed a prototype, and are now testing its biodegradability. They hope that the roost decays at a more natural rate. ORNL’s Xianhui “Andy” Zhao, who specializes in biobased materials said, “The next step is to test the composite’s long-term properties, such as how well it degrades.” To learn more about ORNL’s work, read the press release here and watch their video below. 

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*Cover Photo Credits: ORNL Video