Oct 6, 2017 | By Julia
Austrian manufacturing company Overtec is breaking new ground 3D printing concrete in virtually any shape, even the most elaborate curves and twists. As companies such as Cazza Construction Technologies in Dubai increasingly invest in the possibilities of 3D printing houses – and maybe entire cities one day – Overtec is sending a clear message that it wants to play an important role in that forward-thinking vision.
Of course, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same goes for the 3D printed cities of the future. Before we can additively manufacture a whole metropolis, we need to master the art of 3D printed concrete, which is precisely where Overtec comes in. As the company says, 3D printing concrete in concave, convex, and cone shapes remains a considerable challenge in the industry. With the current technology on the market, these complex shapes are prohibitively expensive and very difficult to manufacture. In light of this challenge, entrepreneur and managing director of Overtec Sebastian Hilscher is keen to try out the new solutions offered by 3D printing. According to a statement, his work has already yielded some impressive results.
Overtec’s system has so far been used to produce shop floor elements suited for use in modern buildings as either a façade or finished part. Printed at Overtec’s production facility in Attnang-Puchheim in upper Austria, the parts were completed over the period of several weeks on a heavy-duty printer weighing 1.8 tons and measuring 4 square metres. As some of the first 3D printed concrete in Austria, the Overtec prints are considered by Hilscher as a harbinger for good things to come.
"As a family business with a 20-year history, we recognize the needs of the market very well,” says the Overtec managing director. “With 3D printing, we want to offer architecture new design possibilities at an attractive price: in the 3D printer, it makes no difference whether we are producing straight or flexible shapes."
Overtec’s first concrete components and surfaces are expected to be launched commercially in just a few months. Hilscher reports the company will offer shift, parapet and surface elements as well as flexibly designed interior elements for increasing space efficiency. According to Hilscher, architects in particular will benefit from greater freedom during the planning stage. Construction companies in turn can look forward to lowered building costs.
Patents are currently pending for Overtec’s technical solutions for parapets and attic elements in flat roofs. By the spring of 2018, the Austrian manufacturer is expected to begin delivering the first elements ready for series production.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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I agree. Do we have to assume the company is creating *vertical* curved components or is this an advertising gimmick, like sugar-free concrete?
3Dprintedhuman wrote at 10/9/2017 2:54:06 AM:
Printed some of the first concrete curves? Somebody lived in a cave last 10 years?
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