News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
The government of Dubai today announced another milestone for the UAE city in the area of construction 3D printing. Now, not only is Dubai home to the first 3D printed office building, it also hosts the largest 3D printed two-storey structure in the world. The building, which spans 640 square meters and is 9.5 meters in height, was recently recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Vertico, a Dutch firm that has developed a concrete 3D printing technology, recently demonstrated its capabilities by 3D printing a concrete footbridge in collaboration with the University of Ghent. Not only a feat for its concrete AM technology, the bridge showcases Vertico’s ability to utilize optimized design to reduce material consumption without compromising strength or stress-resistance. According to the Amersfoort-based company, the bridge’s design allowed for a material reduction of 60%!
Winsun Yingchuang Building Techniques (Shanghai) Co. Ltd is working closely with the Chinese Shanghai Academy of Building Research (SRIBS) on standardization of construction 3D printing materials (Ink) and 3D product standards. Professor-level Senior Engineer Ms. Ye Beihong of SRIBS presented the technical results of the research conducted on the additive manufacturing (3D printing) materials (Ink) and other 3D products produced by Winsun (Yingchuang Building Techniques) in Shanghai.
GXN Innovation, an independent research company created by Danish architecture firm 3XN released its future vision for autonomous 3D printers. In this latest conceptual experiment involving additive manufacturing – part of the “Break the Grid” project – the firm was supported by the Dansk AM Hub, a government-supported Denmark’s platform that supports experimentation in additive manufacturing, and by MAP Architects. The result is swarms flying and diving 3D printing extrusion systems that can work autonomously to build and repair complex structures on land and in the sea.
Emaar Properties, a Dubai-based real estate developer, is reportedly planning to construct a 3D printed home in the UAE city. The project will mark Emaar’s first foray into 3D printed housing and its first step towards becoming a “leading adopter of advanced construction technologies.”
CyBe Construction, a Dutch specialist in concrete 3D printing, has been selected as the technology provider for a 3D printed house project in the UAE. The house will be built as part of the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park) initiative which aims to 3D print a series of buildings in the area with the goal of transforming the city of Sharjah into an architectural hub.
The construction sector has always been very close to the heart of the Belgian BESIX Group and forms the company’s core activities. In recent years, the construction sector has been working hard on catching up with regard to digitization and innovative tools. This technological progress is mainly in the design and design of buildings and structures. By introducing 3D concrete printing via a KUKA KR QUANTEC robot, BESIX Group has now been taking the next steps towards a digital implementation of projects.
Just weeks ago, Danish 3D printing construction company COBOD International (a spin-out of 3D Printhuset) deployed the largest 3D construction printer on the market to Saudi Arabia. Now, the company has reported that something slightly closer to home is being built using its additive manufacturing platform. Kamp C, the Center for Sustainability and Innovation in the Belgian Flemish province, recently installed the BOD2 3D printer and will soon begin construction of a two-storey building.
Saudi Arabian construction company, Elite for Construction & Development Co., placed an order for COBOD‘s BOD2 construction 3D printer. The system will be delivered by the end of May and the 3D printer will be the first of its kind in the country. It will be the biggest in the world, able to print buildings of 12m (w), 27m (l) and 9m (h)
After years of R&D, German industrial binder jetting 3D printer manufacturer voxeljet has perfected 3D printing for complex formworks and now sees the construction industry as a key growth area for its binder jetting technology in the future. The large format binder jetting process from voxeljet has been proven to be particularly helpful for complex 3D printed formworks, breaking away from traditional systems and their stringent geometrical limitation