News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
A 3D printed social housing project that broke ground in late 2023 has been completed. The development, based in Lünen, Germany, was funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and consists of six affordable units measuring between 61m² (670 square feet) to 81m² (890 square feet). According to German news sources, the first tenants, Joachim and Constanze Lippmann, moved in in January.
Since the early days of construction 3D printing, there has been a vision to use the technology as a more cost-effective alternative to conventional construction methods to facilitate the creation of affordable housing. Now, we are seeing that vision start to be realized, with a number of 3D printing-based social housing projects breaking ground around the world.
RIC Technology, a 3D construction printing technology developer, has unveiled its largest and most advanced 3D printer – RIC-PRIMUS – at this year’s World of Concrete (WOC) event. This new system can print three-story structures up to 32 feet tall – surpassing the capabilities of the earlier RIC-M1 PRO.
Stratasys, a leading provider of 3D printing solutions, has received CE Mark Class I approval for its TrueDent-D resin, enabling the sale of its monolithic multi-shade digital denture solution across Europe. Following its successful U.S. launch in 2023, this milestone allows the company to bring a scalable and efficient solution to European dental labs, dentists, and patients.
German medical startup BellaSeno has shared promising results from its Australian clinical trials leveraging resorbable breast implants.
Last September, we told you that the Czech construction company ICE was building the world’s first 3D printed cable car station. As ambitious and possibly far-fetched as that may have seemed, that project, the highest 3D-printed building, is now complete. The cable car station, designed by ATELIER3M, combines innovative design with sustainability, this project integrates prefabrication and on-site production to create a dynamic, functional structure that harmonizes with its natural surroundings.
The idea that some (or all) of the houses that burnt down in the dramatic LA fires will be rebuilt in concrete, possibly using 3D printing technology, may be strengthened by the revelation that Pikus is 3D printing all the concrete seating for a stadium, working with the specialists at HOK. While the stadium benches are being printed away from the final location, this large-scale concrete 3D printing level shows that the technology is now mature enough to undertake massive projects.
According to The University of New Mexico (UNM), researchers in the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering have officially patented a bendable concrete material design for 3D construction printing.
A team of civil engineers and architects from ETH Zurich is developing a sustainable dehumidification solution that could reduce the energy consumption involved in ventilating office buildings, museums and other high-traffic spaces. Instead of just relying on mechanical ventilation systems, the team has created a hygroscopic 3D printed material that can store moisture and later release it. The material in question is based on a geopolymer derived from marble quarry waste.
In 2024, the landscape of 3D printing continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, with groundbreaking i ...