News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno are working on a project that could enable the US Army to quickly produce infrastructure – such as buildings or bridges – in forward-deployment missions without relying on traditional building materials. The approach involves 3D printing concrete structures on site – eliminating the need to ship full-scale buildings or materials into challenging environments, including conflict zones.
Harcourt Technologies Ltd (HTL.tech), a construction 3D printing technology company in Ireland and the UK, has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by constructing Europe’s first social housing project compliant with the ISO/ASTM 52939:2023 additive manufacturing standard, adopted by Ireland. Using COBOD’s BOD2 3D construction printer, HTL.tech showcased how 3D construction printing can meet housing demands efficiently while adhering to rigorous safety and performance standards.
In the late 15th century, polymath Leonardo Da Vinci drafted the first designs for a self-supporting bridge. Six centuries later and the bridge is still one of the most significant architectural inventions of human history. Recently, Da Vinci’s self-supporting bridge has inspired a project at the Polytechnic University of Bari, where a team in the ArCoD department led by Professor Giuseppe Fallacara, has partnered with 3D printing company WASP and stone processing specialists to create a 3D printed self-supporting bridge. The bridge, suitably named “Da Vinci’s Bridge”, has progressed in its development with a finished prototype.
Thousands of people experience homelessness every year in Austin, Texas. Fortunately, there are efforts underway to support these people by—as simple as it sounds—building housing for them. As part of this effort, construction 3D printing company ICON is once again teaming up with Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a local nonprofit that that has dedicated itself to supporting the Austin homeless community for nearly three decades, to build 100 more 3D printed homes in the Community First! Village.
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a 3D concrete printing method that captures carbon, demonstrating a new pathway to reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry.
The Texas Military Department (TMD) has opened its new, 2,600+ square foot 3D printed Training and Innovation Center at Camp Mabry. The Innovation Center will be part of TMD’s Joint Force Headquarters and will enable collaboration and planning with TMD and external partners on future innovation and modernization efforts. Over the past few months, TMD Service Members, along with 3D construction printing company ICON, designed and constructed the 3D printed Innovation Center.
Black Buffalo 3D (BB3D), a 3D construction printing company, and AM Unique – by Namthaja, have partnered to develop 3DCP projects in the Middle East. BB3D will add its NEXCON concrete 3D printers to AM Unique’s fleet, while AM Unique will leverage its expertise in design and 3D printing for residential, commercial, and industrial structures as an efficient alternative to traditional building methods.
Somerset Community College (SCC) is leading the state of Kentucky’s adoption of 3D printing technology for housing construction. The goal of the initiative is to provide affordable and resilient housing solutions that could be essential for surviving and rebuilding after natural disasters. In recent years, Kentucky and the Appalachian regions have faced devastating losses from tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes – natural disasters that seem to now regularly exceed predictive weather models.
Holcim Polska completed its first 3D printed concrete drinking water tank in Barczewko, near Olsztyn, Poland. This project, achieved in collaboration with GLOBTANK, COBOD International, and the general contractor EKO-WOD Kętrzyn for the investor ZWiK Barczewo, highlights Holcim’s emerging role as a leader in innovative additive construction technologies such as the BOD 3D printers.
An ongoing investigation led by British water services company United Utilities, ChangeMaker3D, Manchester Metropolitan University’s PrintCity and Scottish Water aims to determine the benefits and impacts of using 3D printing for water infrastructure components. The initiative, called Water Industry Printfrastructure (WIP), has been underway since 2023 and is on track to wrap up in early 2025.