News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
A team of researchers from Purdue University, Cornell University and Case Western Reserve University is drawing inspiration from bones to make stronger, more resilient 3D printed structures for buildings, aircraft and more. The researchers have recreated a specific beam structure found within natural bone that provides strength and lifelong wear resistance using 3D technologies.
Located in the Jiangsu region, the town of Suzhou is a former mining town that has been completely rebuilt, attracting investments from some of the largest construction companies in the world. Old mines have been rapidly transformed into beautiful parks bringing the city to its former glory when it gave birth to several Chinese emperors. As the city moves into the future, one particularly innovative project stands out, conducted by construction 3D printing company Winsun: the very first 3D printed river revetment wall, over 500 meters long, is the largest 3D printed structure ever built.
Ai Build, a company that the readers of this website should know well, collaborated with a team of other creative firms in the UAE 3D printing scene, to create the Deciduous 3D printed pavilion, a digitally and additively manufactured structure that invites us to revisit our relationship with nature, through an experience reminiscent of walking through an abstracted botanical form.
Bridges have become a popular way for research groups and additive manufacturing companies to demonstrate their technologies. It makes sense. Bridges combine architecture and performance while also engaging directly with people. While not every person may recognize the ingenious nature of a topologically optimized engine component, a state-of-the art bridge can appeal to all.
Singapore-based construction 3D printing company Hamilton Holdings has teamed up with Ang Cheng Guan Construction (ACG) and Saint-Gobain to establish Hamilton Labs Additive Manufacturing & Robotics Hub and to drive 3D concrete printing and digital construction in Singapore. The Hub will see the deployment of robotics, automation technologies and advanced manufacturing methodologies.
Spain-based sustainable infrastructure company ACCIONA has opened a new global 3D printing center in Dubai, which houses the world’s largest operational 3D printer based on powder bed technology. The new center will be used to 3D print infrastructure elements to meet the growing demand for construction 3D printing in the region (in line with Dubai’s 3D Printing Strategy).
Just outside of Bologna, work is advancing on an ambitious construction 3D printing project spearheaded by Italian company WASP and Mario Cucinella Architects. Together, the companies are constructing the first prototype of a sustainable, 3D printed habitat called TECLA.
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.
A multidisciplinary team from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering has received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop autonomous, mobile construction 3D printers. Down the line, the researchers hope that their work will untether 3D printers, so to speak, and enable them to build structures with more mobility.
Architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello, founders of the Emerging Objects studio, are not known for shying away from ambitious work. Their most recent project proves that once again. The partners have 3D printed four structures made from a mud-based material which are inspired by the historical Rio Grande river.