News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
According to Gulf News, Kenyo Tech Middle East 3D Printing Factory, a UAE-localized entity, has broken ground on its first 3D printing factory within the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park. The factory will be the UAE’s first and largest dedicated to 3D concrete printing.
Based in Vienna, Austria, designer Philipp Aduatz has for years been exploring the use of digital manufacturing technologies to create functional and sculptural design objects. In 2023, for instance, we covered an impressive installation by him: the first 3D printed film studio, which was commissioned by Casinos Austria. His latest project continues the exploration of form and function by combining extrusion-based 3D printing and recycled concrete materials to bring to life a collection of versatile furniture pieces.
Saudi Arabia’s Alfaisal University has acquired a 3D construction printer from Australian company LUYTEN 3D. The new technology will equip students and researchers in the University’s Department of Architectural Engineering with hands-on experience, enabling them to explore the future of construction and drive innovative, sustainable building solutions.
While we very often hear about how 3D printing is used to construct walls for housing, floors are still a more niche subsegment of construction 3D printing. As partners Autodesk and Additive Tectonics recently demonstrated, however, there is big potential in leveraging additive manufacturing for the production of flooring, as the technology can unlock greater efficiency and sustainability.
Buena Vista, Colorado is a mountain town known for its incredible views (obviously) as well as its ideal location for hiking. The scenic community is, however, also increasingly at risk of wildfires. In fact, nearly half of Colorado’s population reportedly lives in regions that could be impacted by wildfires, a growing risk due to global warming. Ideally, this risk would be addressed through grand-scale policy changes, but in the absence of that, smaller scale initiatives are critical. One such initiative is being led by construction tech company VeroTouch, which worked with Buena Vista contracting firm South Main to 3D print a pair of fire-resistant homes.
HiveASMBLD, a Houston-based automated 3D printed construction company, has partnered with Cole Klein Builders and The City of Houston to create Zuri Gardens, one of the world’s first large-scale affordable housing developments produced using 3D printing technology.
ICON, a 3D printing construction technology company, has released for sale three one-bedroom homes in Austin’s mixed-use, mixed-income Mueller community as part of the Mueller Affordable Homes Program for income-qualified individuals. These resilient, energy-efficient 650 square foot homes will be built alongside nearly a dozen two and three-bedroom 3D printed homes, all designed by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture.
Shanghai’s XISUI Design has created a 3D printed concrete playground in China’s Shandong Province. The 13,000-square-meter Boulder Park blends natural boulders with looming, contoured 3D printed structures that function as a rock cave adventure area.
Italian company WASP has become known for its 3D printing hardware, particularly its clay and cement printing platforms that have unlocked numerous creative projects, like a sensory garden and coral reef modules. Some may not know, however, that the company has since its early days been driven by a utopian dream of building Shamballa, a place where 3D printing could be used to build community and provide the fundamentals to human life: housing, food, healthcare, energy, employment and culture.
Urban wildlife is quite amazing at adapting to city environments, both through behavioral changes and physiological ones. A study on Chicago rodents, for example, found that meadow voles had evolved to have smaller inner ear bones, possibly to mitigate the effects of noise pollution in urban areas. Despite this, humans must also recognize the challenges that our urban spaces create for animals and help by making accommodations and safe environments. On this front, a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has created a 3D printed wall façade that functions as a nesting shelter for local wildlife.