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Mobile Robotic System 3D Prints Single-Piece Concrete Structures

The scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have spent a lot of time and energy over the last few years researching construction 3D printing with concrete materials. Two years ago, the NTU Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP) team, led by Assistant Professor Pham Quang Cuong with NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, published a paper about their work developing concurrent mobile 3D printing construction robots. The idea was that multiple robots working together to build a concrete structure wouldn’t be held back by common issues like volume constraints and long lead times.

Adoption of concrete 3D printing is limited because of problems like lack of mobility and small size, and the use of synchronized, mobile robots is an excellent place to start working on the issue of scalability. But now, Professor Cuong and his team are taking things to the next level. They’re still using mobile robots for a print-while-moving approach, but instead of a pair systems, they’ve developed a single-robot industrial AM platform that can complete large-scale construction printing all by itself.

“Our system is mounted on a mobile robot. The ability to move the robot base in space allows our robot to print structures that are larger than itself,” Professor Cuong explained. “Also, having a mobile base makes it easier to bring the robot into the construction site and move it around inside.”

The NTU team—comprised of Mehmet Efe Tiryaki, Xu Zhang, and Professor Cuong—published a paper about their new system, titled “Printing-while-moving: a new paradigm for large-scale robotic 3D Printing.”

The abstract reads, “Building and Construction have recently become an exciting application ground for robotics. In particular, rapid progress in material formulation and in robotics technology has made robotic 3D Printing of concrete a promising technique for in-situ construction. Yet, scalability remains an important hurdle to widespread adoption: the printing systems (gantry-based or arm-based) are often much larger than the structure be printed, hence cumbersome. Recently, a mobile printing system – a manipulator mounted on a mobile base – was proposed to alleviate this issue: such a system, by moving its base, can potentially print a structure larger than itself. However, the proposed system could only print while being stationary, imposing thereby a limit on the size of structures that can be printed in a single take. Here, we develop a system that implements the printing-while-moving paradigm, which enables printing single-piece structures of arbitrary sizes with a single robot. This development requires solving motion planning, localization, and motion control problems that are specific to mobile 3D Printing.”

This system only needs one robot to print differently sized single-piece structures, which also helps to ensure better structural properties.

The mobile robotic 3D printing system

Typically, construction materials wider than the construction 3D printing system’s gantry foothold distance can’t be printed. That’s because a printed structure’s dimensions are constrained by one of three things: the robot arm’s reach, the gantry’s restricted volume, or the framework which enables the printhead to move along a particular axis. But the NTU researchers have enabled their system to move in any direction, so long as it’s on a flat surface, by mounting an industrial robot manipulator to a wheeled base. Then, a hose is used to connect the platform’s manipulator flange nozzle to a pump.

The robot manipulator’s motions, and those of the mobile platform, are painstakingly planned out in this new system in order to achieve a coordinated effort. It uses feedback motion control, and highly accurate robot localization, to make sure that the nozzle deposits the concrete material at the right pace in the correct location. By placing a camera on the back of the mobile base, its “localization system” works better over a larger surface area.

Model of NTU’s 3D printing system setup and printing process pipeline

The NTU research team claims that their printing-while-moving system can increase the size of structures that one robot can fabricate. To prove it, they used the platform to 3D print a single-piece 210 x 45 x 10 cm concrete structure, which is definitely larger than the robotic arm’s 87 cm reach. This system could significantly increase the effectiveness of 3D construction printing. But, their work is not yet done, as the system does still have some limitations, particularly in terms of uneven work areas.

Professor Cuong explained, “We’re planning to add collaborative features to our robot. The idea is to have a human operator take the robot by hand and move it around the construction site, towards the desired location, guiding it to achieve high-precision assembly.”

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(Source: IEEE)

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Live Entrepreneurship & 3D Value Networks Sustainability and Concrete

3D Printing Pioneer Janne Kyttanen is doing a series about value networks. In an interview, Janne has explained to us what exactly this is. Subsequently, Janne kicked off the series with a video interview with BAM’s Jeroen Nuijten on 3D printing concrete. Now Janne will delve deeper into 3D printing concrete through a discussion with Robert Niven of Carboncure.

Essentially what Janne is trying to do is to in front of your very eyes evaluate a technology, learn and then hopefully establish a value network that disrupts this technology. Now Janne wants to delve deeper into one of the most common building substances in the world. Accused of much CO2 pollution is there such a thing as sustainability in concrete?

Janne thinks that now is the time to innovate in concrete.

“My second 3D value network chat revolves around sustainability. In this day an age, it is hard for companies to be successful unless this very word is tattooed on their forehead. The days are over where the decadent human can roam the planet without consequences. Some even say, the COVID pandemic is nature’s way of telling us to slow down. The air is purer all over the world now and turtles are laying more eggs on deserted beaches, which previously have been packed by people.”

“But this talk is not about turtles, but about sustainability in concrete, value networks and why they matter for the 3D printing industry. Before I give the stage for the experts, there is one basic takeaway I have learned from concrete and sustainability this year. Whilst there is bad rep in the news for concrete and how bad it is for the environment, the reason is, it is a gigantic industry. No matter what other gigantic industry you would put on the table as a comparison, they all create a level of “badness” for the planet. But if the benefits would not by far overrule the bad, they would simply disappear and that is for sure not happening for concrete.

However, it is no excuse why we could not do things better, which is why I have specifically invited Robert Nivem, CEO of Carboncure for my next talk. Let’s hear from him how their technology is reversing the CO2 emissions from concrete for the benefit of the entire industry and the world.”

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Copenhagen: COBOD 3D Prints European Building Again in Just Three Days

A construction company originally created as a spinoff from Denmark’s 3D Printhuset to handle customer demand for 3D printing construction activities and the BOD2 3D printer, COBOD (Construction Building on Demand) is meant to handle large-scale projects. Now, the innovative company has duplicated their initial BOD construction in Copenhagen—but in a fraction of the time.

“When we printed the original BOD building on September 11 two years ago, we spent two months finalizing the 3D printing. This time it only took 3 days, or 28.5 hours to be precise. This is truly a milestone in the development of the 3D construction printing technology and documents a remarkable 20 times improvement in our productivity in just two years,” said Jakob Jørgensen, Head of Technology at COBOD.

“The much faster print time of this print reflects the improvements of our technology by using the new, and 10 times faster BOD2 printer and that we have learned a lot from the first time we 3D printed the building.”

Day 1: 5 hours into the re-print of The BOD, Europe’s first 3D printed building

Day 3 of the re-print of The BOD

Known as Europe’s first 3D printed building, COBOD originally spent two months on construction of the BOD. With second generation hardware at work, in the form of the BOD2, the team has performed a ‘re-print’ in a stunning three days, commemorating the September 11th production of their initial BOD construction in 2017.

This work not only shows the potential for 3D printing in the construction industry overall—as well as other applications—but also demonstrates the powerful increase in COBOD’s productivity.

COBOD had the attention of the 3D printing industry and enthusiasts from around the world as they delivered the first BOD2 3D printer to Belgian Kamp C, upon winning the Kamp C European tender. Later, in similar circumstances, they ended up delivering another BOD2 to The Technological University of Denmark (DTU), followed by shipment to the Middle East of what they contend is a printer able to complete the largest constructions so far—with fabrication possible of 300 sqm in 3 stories, for a total of 900 sqm of printed building.

“We have said time and time again, that this technology has great potential, is developing very fast and that there is still so much to be learned to fully utilize this technology. Today we provide the documentation for exactly that, by having 3D printed an identical building to The BOD building we did exactly two years ago,” said Henrik Lund-Nielsen, CEO of COBOD. “Although not everything went as well as expected, the results and improvements we achieved this time speaks for itself.”

And while COBOD has been on point over their short time in existence as a 3D printing supplier, they have an excellent track record; however, they also provide extensive documentation of their projects to their clients—and to the world—being clear about successes but also about what went wrong. Here, there were some complications in streamlining processes between the printhead, speed, and materials.

“We are extremely pleased with how well our new BOD2 printer performed during this test. The BOD2 3D construction printer has an impressive print speed of up to 100 cm/second, and during this print we could comfortably print with a speed of 35 cm/sec, which is faster than anybody before,” said Michael Holm, Head of R&D at COBOD. “However, our concrete mixer-pump could not continuously follow the printer at this speed, so for a lot of the print we actually had to slow down the printer to avoid running out of materials. Hence we are now working with our pump suppliers to overcome this barrier and truly utilize the full speed of our BOD2.”

Mistakes during the printing process included an error in setting time for the concrete, leading to clogging. Once production issues were corrected, the COBOD team reported that productivity doubled from printing 10 cm of the BOD building per hour to 20 cm on the last day.

“Again, we learned a lot from applying our technology to a project. We are now converting the lessons that we learned into even better solutions for our customers going forward,” concluded Henrik Lund-Nielsen. “Once we have done that, we believe we could 3D print the entire BOD building in just 8 hours, should we decide to print it again a third time. None the less, this re-print is a significant milestone. A milestone that documents the great potential of 3D construction printing.”

Re-printing The Bod with the new BOD2 printer also improved the smoothness and quality of the 3D printed walls

3D printing in construction continues to grow in popularity throughout Europe, the US, and extremely affluent realms like Dubai. What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: COBOD]

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CyBe Construction Hopes to 3D Print Small Meeting Structure in Amsterdam

People walk past the construction site of a 3D-printed social housing building called “Yhnova,” developed by researchers from the University of Nantes, in Nantes, France, in 2017. The house was subsequently finished and a family moved in. (Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

Big talk is common within 3D printing, simply because of the big potential. From epic projections regarding faraway colonization on Mars to giant developments, there have been many promising concepts, and promises in general. Because everyone tends to get excited about cool-looking, less expensive real estate ideas, 3D printing in construction has great allure; however, these projections certainly have a long way to go before turning into reality for the average consumer in the US.

Amsterdam tells a different story right now though as 3D printers whir away stacking layers one upon the other in a repetitive process that will eventually yield a small structure meant to serve as a meeting area. Encompassing 1,000 square feet, architect Pim van Wylick had to re-work the blueprint into a smaller size due to complaints from local municipalities and neighbors.

“This project was fun, but a headache as well,” says van Wylick. “You’d think a building of just a hundred square meters wouldn’t be much work, but the many regulations made it challenging.”

The meeting center will be operated by Arvid Prigge, who also owns a nearby boutique hotel and conference center and has been interested in 3D printing since he started reading about projects occurring in other countries like China.

“If we were going to create a new building, it had to be special,” said Prigg. “Something iconic and unusual.”

The innovation goes beyond 3D printing too, as the aviation-inspired décor (there is an airport next door) features a jet engine shape from above, and even curved walls—which will host video projections and music, if guests desire. Prigge explains further that when people meeting in the building see a pine tree in the video projection, they will even smell pine needles—and coconut, upon seeing a tropical beach.

A wall section of the Meeting Factory, composed of dozens of layers of concrete mix. (Photo: Mediavisie)

Although this construction has gone a bit slower than they expected, the next similar projects are expected to be faster and even more affordable—although the price for this first project in Amsterdam was not disclosed.

“We created a specific type of mortar that hardens within a day and that won’t shrink, expand, or collapse,” says Berry Hendriks of CyBe Construction, the company overseeing the 3D printing process. “We developed special algorithms to print the double-curved walls. It was pretty complicated, but we conducted research beforehand to determine whether it was feasible.”

“Of course, you only have one chance to get it right,” explains Hendriks. “You can’t forget anything. After we’ve prepared and checked everything—the temperature, the consistency of the material, the location of the wall, the electricity and water—we press play and the system works its magic.”

CyBe Construction has been using 3D printing in construction projects for several years now, and they were behind the small, one-bedroom built in Saudi, Arabia for €50,000 ($57,000).

The project, built in Teuge and dubbed ‘The Meeting Factory,’ is projected to take around two weeks or less to complete, but speed was not their goal, and several more similar houses are slated for Eindhoven this year.

“It wasn’t our goal to do it as fast as possible,” said Hugo Jager, the project leader from consultancy firm Revelating. “It was more important to do it right. In any case, the whole process will be much faster and cheaper next time.”

While one resident in the area commented that she was surprised construction of such a structure was allowed there, another neighbor said, ““I don’t know how 3D printing works, but at least it’s something new. The design seems unique and I think it will fit here.”

The use of 3D printers in construction is an intuitive mix as concrete simply applied in a more refined manner, extruded rather poured. This type of application—ideally—is the golden child for exemplifying the classic benefits of 3D printing, from greater affordability to speed in production, to cutting down on waste, as well as reducing the amount of human resources required for building projects. With 3D printed concrete as the driving force, innovators and builders around the world have created techniques in construction for more sustainable living, mobile robots for temporary installations, and even affordable housing in Florida.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

A rendering of De Vergaderfabriek (“the Meeting Factory”), now being built in a village in the Netherlands. (Photo: The Form Foundation)

[Source: CBC]