Researchers at ETH Zurich have pioneered a revolutionary robotic additive manufacturing technique – which they called impact printing – aimed at transforming the construction industry by using circular, low-carbon materials. This new method represents a significant leap forward in sustainable construction.
Entire houses can now be built from clay or excavated earth—materials that are cheap, plentiful, and environmentally sustainable, as they do not require cement. However, traditional building methods using these materials are slow, labor-intensive, and costly. To overcome these challenges, ETH Zurich researchers have developed a fast robotic printing process that avoids the need for cement. This process, called “impact printing,” involves construction robots shooting material from above, gradually forming a wall as the parts bond on impact with minimal additives. Unlike conventional concrete 3D printing, no pauses are needed for the material to solidify. The current mixture for this process includes excavated materials, silt, and clay.
Manufacturing on Demand
A new additive manufacturing method
Impact printing introduces a novel way to construct full-scale, freeform wall structures using low-carbon, circular materials. Developed through interdisciplinary collaboration at ETH Zurich, this method aims to improve the cost-effectiveness of sustainable building materials through efficient, automated production. Unlike traditional 3D printing, which relies on layer-by-layer extrusion, this method uses high-velocity deposition, propelling materials at up to 10 meters per second, which ensures strong bonding without the need for drying periods. This makes the process more stable and less dependent on additives, unlike conventional extrusion-based 3D printing.
Copyright: ETH Zurich – Gramazio Kohler Research, Chair of Sustainable Construction and Robotic Systems Lab
A custom printing tool, developed at ETH Zurich, can be integrated into various high-payload robotic platforms, enabling construction both off-site and directly at building sites. The tool has been successfully used with a high-payload gantry system at the Robotic Fabrication Laboratory and mounted on the autonomous HEAP platform, a legged excavator designed by ETH Zurich’s Robotic Systems Lab. This platform has been used to build structures up to 3 meters tall and has the potential to handle variable terrain at unstructured sites, making it possible to construct walls and infrastructure such as acoustic barriers.
Low environmental impact
The impact printing process from ETH uses a low-CO2 earth-based mixture, developed by the Chair of Sustainable Construction at ETH Zurich, which includes locally sourced secondary materials with minimal mineral admixtures. Much of the material is sourced from Eberhard Unternehmungen, an industry leader in circular building methods. The process, which has won the prestigious 3D Pioneers Challenge in 2023, could be adapted to other materials for various construction scenarios. An ETH spin-off is in development to commercialize this groundbreaking technology.
Copyright: ETH Zurich – Gramazio Kohler Research, Chair of Sustainable Construction and Robotic Systems Lab
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ICE is 3D printing a cable car station in Czechia: The cable car station will sit nestled in a hilltop, not unlike a large stone resting in the landscape. The design of the station was intentional in this way, both interacting organically with the hillside and fulfilling the function of a station. According to ICE, the “dynamic mass of the cable car articulates the function of the building.” The 3D printed structure itself will consist of a section for the cable car, and an elongated day room, where visitors can rest and look out onto the surrounding landscape.
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Author: Davide Sher
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