“Sustainable is Beautiful” – Eburo on Vegan Ivory for 3D Printing

Ivory is considered one of the most precious materials in the world and has fascinated mankind since time immemorial. It is the substance from the tusks of elephants or mammoths, although nowadays it is mainly the tusks of the African elephant that are captured for the production of ivory. The ancient Romans and Greeks used ivory (Latin Ebur) for dental prostheses, but acquired a taste for this precious raw material and laid the foundations for the targeted hunt for it. Ivory was traded for centuries to make handles, piano keys, vessels, jewelry, buttons and souvenirs.

The high demand drove poaching to extremes, resulting in a massive decline in the elephant population. Environmental organizations and animal welfare programs are working to find solutions to this problem. However, 3D printing can also help to combat elephant exploitation. The Austrian company Eburo is dedicated to this goal. With its Digory material, it offers a vegan ivory that can be processed using 3D printing. We spoke to the company’s founder, Thaddäa Rath, to find out more about the ivory alternative.

Even today, elephants are still hunted specifically for ivory. (Image: Pixabay)

3DN: Could you briefly introduce yourself, tell us how you got into 3D printing and how Eburo came to be founded?

My name is Thaddäa Rath, and I am the founder of Eburo GmbH, which I have been managing since 2022. I studied materials science at the University of Leoben and completed a doctorate at the Vienna University of Technology after graduating in Leoben. I first got involved with stereolithography in the research group for materials and additive manufacturing. As part of my dissertation project, I developed a 3D printable replacement material for ivory, which is suitable for the high-quality restoration of historical art objects.