About Me


           

 I am Maxim Meijer, a master’s student in Industrial Design at Eindhoven University of Technology. My work explores the intersection of digital fabrication, biomaterials, and emerging manufacturing technologies. I am interested in how advanced fabrication methods can make material experimentation more accessible and support sustainable, customised forms of production. Throughout my studies, I have developed a strong foundation in research‑through‑design.

I work with a range of bio‑based materials, including hydrogels, biopolymers, cellulose, and other natural composites. Through hands‑on testing, I explore their structural and rheological properties and how they behave during processing. I apply these materials in different fabrication methods, such as paste‑based 3D printing, sheet formation, and other experimental production techniques. To support this work, I also adapt and modify machines so they better fit the needs of each material and project.

I have practical skills with FDM and paste extrusion 3D printing, robotic arms, and parametric design workflows. I often modify machines to extend their capabilities and study how material properties, process parameters, and design strategies influence one another. This combination of technical skill and experimental curiosity helps me bridge design, engineering, and material science.

I am motivated by how design can contribute to positive and sustainable futures. I believe that local production, bio‑based materials, and expressive fabrication methods can reshape how we relate to products and resources. My goal is to create work that is technically grounded, materially sensitive, and aesthetically meaningful, showing how new fabrication approaches can support better ways of making.
Education
Technical University of Eindhoven
Msc Industrial Design
2024- ongoing

Tsukuba University - Japan
Msc Industrial Design - Exchange
2025 -2026

University of Applied Sciences Amsterdam  
Bsc Industrial Design Engineering
2018 - 2022

Employment
Technical University of Eindhoven
2025

Research Assistant - URwood
MX3D
2021 - now

3D printing engineer
Design Engineer
3D animator
University of Applied Sciences Amsterdam
2022

Student Assistant
internships
Geke  Lensink  & Jesse Visser
MX3D
Achievements
Dutch Design week - 2021
Green concept awards - 2021
Bio Design Challange Finalist - 2021
Skills
Digital Fabrication
Additive manufacturing (FDM and paste extrusion)
3D printer modification and hardware prototyping
Robotic fabrication and toolpath experimentation

Materials
Biomaterials and wood based composites
Material testing and characterization
Material formulation and experimentation

Computational Design
Parametric modelling
Grasshopper workflows
Blender based 3D animation

Technical Skills
Rapid prototyping
Mechanical design
Experimental research through design

Press
Next Nature Network: https://nextnature.org/en/magazine/story/2021/house-built-from-3d-printed-dung

De groene Amsterdammer:
https://www.groene.nl/artikel/homo-fabers-met-3d-printers
2020       

De Telegraaf:
https://www.telegraaf.nl/lifestyle/huis-van-koeienmest-uitkomst-voor-woningbouw/64443284.html 

Hogeschool van Amsterdam:
https://hvana.nl/nieuws/als-het-aan-deze-studenten-ligt-woon-jij-later-in-een-huis-van-koeienpoep 

Tubantia:
https://www.tubantia.nl/enschede-e-o/enschedese-doris-gelooft-er-heilig-in-we-gaan-huizen-bouwen-van-koeienpoep~abdb09cd/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F 

De gelderlander:
https://www.gelderlander.nl/achterhoek/achterhoekse-doris-gelooft-er-heilig-in-we-gaan-huizen-bouwen-van-koeienpoep~abdb09cd/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F 

Research Gate:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384152628_An_Inovative_Construction_Technology_in_Architecture3D_Printing 
           
Maxim Meijer  - Portfolio
Email, LinkedIn
URwood
2025

URwood is a seed funded project in collaboration with Foundation EWUU and the Municipality of Utrecht and its network. It facilitates the identification of high-volume but low-value wood waste, such as top branches and trims, for upcycling into composite materials suitable for additive manufacturing, sheet pressing and filler usage. Addressing the challenges posed by wood waste variability, the project prioritizes fresh wood for a more stable supply while maintaining an interest in discarded wood-based products for future research.

Innovative material approaches, including the use of thermoplastic proteins from agri-food side streams, will enhance biodegradability and scalability. Additionally, engagement with upcycle businesses and artists as early adopters of technology-supported repair will support the development of value-added applications. Through these efforts, the project aims to establish new pathways for sustainable material use and circular economy solutions in Utrecht.

For more information:
https://circularsociety.ewuu.nl/research/urban-rural-circularity/urwood/





URWOOD Team


Bahar Barati (TU/e), Tomaso Mangrini (former WUR (now TU/e)), Lu Zhang (WUR), Emma Luitjens (former UU (now TU/e)),

Maxim Meijer (TU/e), Bianca Co (TU/e), Vinzenz Unterhauser (TU/e), Diya Samit (TU/e).

https://circularsociety.ewuu.nl/research/urban-rural-circularity/urwood/
MX3D
2021-2025



    For Formnext, the largest 3D printing conference in Europe, I designed a booth concept for MX3D in 2023 & 2024. It communicated the company’s expertise in robotic metal additive manufacturing. The design focused on clearly showcasing MX3D’s technology and applications through a strong spatial identity, for both technical storytelling and visitor engagement in an international conference context.
    As a project as Design Engineer I took control of the production of a WAAM 3D printed Spelter Socket. Designed to attach cables for industrial application.


    WAAM 3D printed Spelter socket
    Formnext 2024 Booth Design

        At MX3D, I created several detailed 3D models of their robotic cells in Blender to clearly communicate the design opportunities:
        Overview of 3D visualisations
        Bio Based Bridging
        2025


        for my master’s program I explored bridging behavior in bio-based paste materials within additive manufacturing. The work investigates how material composition, including proteins and cellulose based systems, material rheology, extrusion, and toolpaths  influence performance of bridging. The project combines material testing, digital fabrication, and iterative prototyping. This research was done using a modified FDM 3D printer to allow for paste extrusions.
        3D printing Setup & process

        Final artefact printing
        Toolpath Design
         2025

        I design custom toolpaths using Grasshopper to explore how geometry, material behaviour, and fabrication processes interact. Through parametric workflows I generate printing paths that go beyond conventional layer based slicing, allowing for experiments with bridging structures, continuous extrusion paths, and material driven geometries. This approach enables rapid iteration between digital design and physical fabrication, particularly for robotic fabrication and paste based 3D printing processes.

        The examples show different patterns and printing approaches. Such as ripple patterns but also non-planar 3D printing. 

        Grasshopper preview
        Getting our shit together
        2021


        The aim of Getting Our Shit Together is to optimize cow dung into a 3D-paste-printer filament, with the final goal of 3D printing inhabitable houses. It is a speculative research project on how to tackle the nitrogen overload and housing shortage in the Netherlands.

        The problem is the solution

        In the Netherlands there is an abundance of cattle, which produce overwhelming quantities of dung. On top of that, the huge nitrogen emission of the Dutch agricultural industry has put a halt on construction of houses during the current housing shortage. By making 3D-printed houses out of cow dung, the problem becomes the solution.

        We collected cow poo from a local farm outside of Amsterdam. Several binders and fillers were added to the dung to optimize its filament properties. Eventually, three recipes yielded promising results. It were combinations of cow dung with the binders methyl-cellulose, sodium alginate and xanthan with additions of the calcium carbonate, tapioca starch and glycerin. After hacking a 3D printer into a paste printer and tweaking the settings in the Rhinoceros and Grasshopper software, we were able to 3D print a miniature house out of cow dung. With this project, we have therefore delivered a proof of concept for 3D printing houses out of cow dung, which offers great possibilities for further development.


        https://ddw.nl/en/programme/5949/getting-our-shit-together         


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