Thrōn Made 3D-Prints Sustainable Furniture From Biodegradable Plastic

Most 3D-printed furniture looks like it was 3D-printed. The layer lines are visible, the forms are blocky, and the materials feel cheap. Thrōn Made, a small brand out of Schofield, Wisconsin, is trying to change that assumption by combining biodegradable pellets with industrial print farms and a design eye borrowed from mid-century modernism.

Sam Wesenick and Jared Wesenick started the project in 2019 as a way to fill idle time on their in-house Compound Dynamics RM30 printer. What began as a trade show curiosity turned into a real business selling chairs, shelves, and cat homes online. The difference is in the material and the method. They use a plant-based biodegradable plastic fed as pellets to industrial printers, then add colorants to get custom finishes without paint.

The sustainability angle is not just marketing. By printing with granulate instead of filament, the process cuts material costs and energy use compared to traditional desktop printing. The printers can deposit large beads of material quickly, and the parts emerge strong enough for daily use. The company tests miniature models on desktop printers first, stacks weight on them to check for weak points, then scales up to full-size production runs.

Their most visible piece is the CD Lounge chair, a design that grew out of Jared's early experiments with the RM30. It is printed in one piece or assembled from a few large sections, depending on the model. The latest sandal project from their design studio takes that logic further: a flat, supportless geometry printed in flexible TPU that needs no assembly and produces almost no waste.

Thrōn Made is not trying to compete with IKEA on price. The pieces sell for what they are: small-batch, labor-intensive objects made on machines that cost more than most cars. But the model hints at a future where sustainable furniture does not require a factory in Vietnam or a shipping container full of flat-pack boxes. A local printer, a biodegradable pellet, and a CAD file might be enough.

The brand still operates at a scale that most mass-market retailers would dismiss. That could be its advantage. As the 3D printing industry chases speed and size, Thrōn Made is proof that a small team with a specific material focus can produce objects that feel considered and handmade, even when they come off an industrial printer.