May 20, 2015 | By Simon
While it may still be a little bit of a ways off, one of the more fascinating applications for additive manufacturing has been in the construction and building industries - a sector that eschews the common desktop 3D printer that has become synonymous with the technology in favor of more large scale systems.
Of course, while the process of creating a 3D printed house may not be that complicated - as we’ve seen many times before - and in some cases, is a very sustainable method of creating living structures, there is still a lot of groundwork to be laid before it becomes a completely reliable method of fabrication for large structures.
Now, a group of companies have come together to create a consortium in an effort to help advance the near-future of 3D printed buildings.
Consisting of three Spanish companies that includes: Tudela Veguín, a global leader in the production of cement and lime, Prodintec, an additive manufacturing and design firm; and Coprosa, a large construction firm headquartered in Asturias, Spain, the Con3D Consortium aims to advance additive manufacturing technologies within the building and construction industry.
The companies held a summit earlier this month at the offices of Prodintec for a presentation on “Desarrollo de un Proceso Automatizado de Fabricación de Estructuras Mediante Tecnología de Impresión 3D para el Sector de la Construcción,” which, in English means “The Development of Automated Structures and Manufacturing Processes Via 3D Printing Technology for the Construction Industry.”
Among other topics discussed during the summit included the collective progress being made towards the Con3D Project, a project that is funded by the ‘El Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial’ (Center for Industrial Technological Development) and is focused on building a robotic arm 3D printer that is capable of printing large scale structures using various building materials including mortar, traditional concrete and specialize concrete. Currently, the Spanish robot is among the first of its kind globally and is considered to be one of the most significant steps towards the development of structurally sound, cost effective and safe 3D printed buildings.
To demonstrate the capabilities of the 3D printing robot using its concrete extrusion method of additive manufacturing, the group printed a life-sized sofa out of specialized concrete material. According to those in attendance, the sofa was surprisingly comfortable despite it being far from the traditional, cushioned variety.
While the applications for the new technology are certainly going to be a lot more complex than a stationary sofa, the robot isn’t quite finished and the consortium is still working on the final developments towards establishing the machine as an industrial tool for the construction industry.
Posted in 3D Printers
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