News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
ChangeMaker 3D, a 3D printing service provider based in Gloucester, England, in collaboration with CyBe Construction, has developed a solution to the shortage of public bathrooms at train stations across the UK – modular, 3D printed Toilet Pods. Transport for Wales first identified the need in 2022 – seeing an opportunity for innovation in train station amenities.
Spanning 8,000 hectares, the Parc de Collserola in Barcelona is a beautiful place to be immersed in nature, get some exercise and experience the cutting edge of 3D printed construction. That’s right, the Catalonian park is home to a 3D Printed Earth Forest Campus, which features a series of architectural structures 3D printed from earth and demonstrates alternative and more sustainable construction methods. The campus is the work of the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), which has leveraged WASP’s large-format 3D printing technology to create the 3D printed buildings.
The Dubai Municipality has recently installed 40 3D printed public seats in Uptown Mirdiff and Al Khazzan Parks. The move is in line with the Municiplaity’s approach to delivering its services in Dubai by leveraging advanced technologies and employing innovative solutions. It also aligns with the city’s efforts to promote sustainability, while reducing carbon footprint and natural resource consumption – further boosting Dubai’s pioneering position and its competitiveness in this realm.
Harcourt Technologies (HTL), a construction company leveraging 3D concrete printing, is building Ireland’s first 3D printed homes. Using a gantry-mounted 3D concrete printer from COBOD, HTL is constructing three social housing units at Grange Close, in Dundalk.
BM Partners, a 3D construction printing company in Kazakhstan, has completed Central Asia’s first 3D printed house. The building, located in Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan, is categorized within a high-risk zone for severe seismic activity according to the Richter scale.
The Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), a state-owned institution that works alongside partners in industry, academia and the public sector, has a number of innovative projects under its belt, including an initiative to explore the use of recycled water for irrigation, and an exploration of certifying AI models. The organization is also very active in the area of additive manufacturing research, often exploring the use of the technology to meet sustainability goals. This is very much the case in RISE’s ongoing E3D project, which is exploring the integration of 3D printed concrete into building façades to improve efficiency and sustainability in the Swedish construction industry.
QOROX, a construction 3D printing company with several successful projects to their credit, has recently completed the construction of the world’s largest 3D printed skateable sculpture, titled ‘The Wave’, at Destination Skatepark in Tauranga, New Zealand.
Havelar, a newly established Portuguese company in Porto, founded by experienced building materials suppliers, architects, and financial organizations, has just completed the execution of Portugal’s first 3D printed house. Located in the Greater Porto area, the two-bedroom, 80m² house was printed using the BOD2 printer from COBOD, in just 18 hours. The house was designed in collaboration with renowned architects Aires Mateus, Glória Cabral, and Francis Kéré.
According to the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), architecture Professor Shadi Nazarian and an interdisciplinary team of researchers are exploring the viability of 3D printing homes in rural Alaska, using a mix of cork and concrete, to provide affordable, sustainable, and resilient housing.
Holcim, a concrete 3D printing company, has completed Switzerland’s first onsite 3D printed building – a showroom for Kobelt AG, a company renowned for its construction and renovation services since 1964. Kobelt AG, facing space limitations in their current offices, sought an innovative solution and turned to Holcim’s cutting-edge 3D construction printing technology – marking a significant shift for the company, which is traditionally known for wood constructions