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Mighty Buildings’ Commercial House 3D Printing Automates Construction by 80 Percent

3D printing construction today can build more than just walls, structural shells or components. It can build the entire house, as Mighty Buildings has shown, including floors, ceiling, roofs and overhangs. Completed this month, the Mighty Duo B model is a 700-sq-ft ADU with one bedroom, one bath, and a kitchenette. As Slava Solonitsyn, CEO and Cofounder of Mighty Buildings points out,

“As soon as you are able to produce not only the walls but also floor and ceiling, that saves a huge amount of hours, and specifically labor hours, which are very expensive,”.

3D Printed Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). Image Courtesy of Mighty Buildings

Additive construction has been increasingly expanding beyond proof-of-concept or research projects, and into commercial applications over the last few years. Increasing urbanization, rising costs of construction, and the need for affordable housing is driving the development of 3D printing applications in real-world construction. In addition, McKinsey reports estimated that California would need 3.5 million homes by 2025, and that improvements in productivity in the global construction industry could add $1.6 trillion (2% of the global economy) to the sector’s value—both areas that construction 3D printing technology is positioned to address.

The company, based out of California, U.S., has received $30 million to date (from Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator, and others), and has just announced its launch out of stealth. Mighty Buildings uses a 20-foot tall 3D printer, the Big-G, which can output at speeds of 120 millimeters per second, to construct a 350-square-foot studio in under 24 hours.

Image Courtesy of Mighty Buildings

The material used is a low-priced Light Stone Material (LSM), a thermal composite that hardens when exposed to UV light. Similar to Corian, a typical kitchen countertop material, LSM “freezes in air” on exposure to the light. While traditional walls are traditionally made from several materials, Mighty Buildings relies on a single material to print a monolithic shell (that improves its insulating properties, thermal and energy efficiency to the highest existing standards) with channels built in for electrical and plumbing requirements.

Chief Sustainability Officer at Mighty Buildings, Sam Ruben explained,

“From a sustainability standpoint, by being able to print the roof and the floors as well as the walls, it allows us to create monolithic shells that increase the airtightness, reduce the thermal leakage, and increase the overall energy efficiency of the structure, making it really easy to meet California zero net energy standards. We can even go past that into Passive House and other standards that are on the cutting edge of what energy efficiency can do.”

Compared to traditional construction methods, Mighty Building’s production platform saves 95% on labor hours, doubles the rate of traditional construction, and produces ten times less waste. The automated 3D printing construction process also automates up to 80% and saves a further 20-30% in costs compared to traditional prefab process, as the machine prints the entire structural shell of the home, as opposed to 3D printing sections for on-site assembly.

Mighty Buildings initially focused on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) or backyard homes, since these were easier to obtain permits for than for empty lot construction. The Mighty Duo B unit took a total of five weeks to complete from construction to installation. The company says it is now ready to scale production having obtained certification and building code compliance for its advanced technology and material solutions. The company was the first to be certified under California’s UL3401 standard for 3D-printed building structures under the state’s Factory Built Housing program.

Advantages over the conventional prefab construction process. Image Courtesy of Mighty Buildings

The offering from Might Buildings also has other advantages, in that their customers do not have to be dependent on multiple subcontractors (for roofing, electrical, HVAC, plumbing and more) with unpredictable schedules for construction. The 3D printing construction company claims its turnkey solution simplifies the process “by being the only entity that you need to work with from start to finish.”

Image Courtesy of Mighty Buildings

The company has since installed units in San Ramon, and San Diego, and has fifteen more such ADUs under contract. These units can cost up to 45% less than comparable homes built traditionally. Their production as a service platform also allows for custom floor plans for each unit, using optimized software and low-cost printing materials in their design-to-production solution. Unlike concrete, typically used in 3D printed housing, Mighty Building’s material is lighter, has better thermal insulation properties, and can be tailored by robotic arms, in a production system that is 80% automated. The company is expanding its offerings in ADUs with six customizable options available (with the cost of the unit is roughly $314 per square foot) from 350 square foot studios priced from $115,000 to three-bedroom housing priced up to $285,000.

The company is now looking to develop a fiber-reinforced material comparable to steel, that would allow the 3D printing of multi-story, multifamily homes for dense, urban housing. Developers will be the primary customers for Mighty Buildings, as opposed to one-off customers, and the company will look to mass produce affordable, customizable housing from small factories setup in urban markets.

ICON, another company in this emerging sector, is bringing cutting edge 3D printing construction technology in an affordable, accessible way to low-income or homeless populations. Partnering with a non-profit called New Story, ICON is looking to build low-cost houses, the world’s first 3D printed neighborhood, in Mexico for rural populations. The company was the first company to obtain a building permit in the US to construct a 350 square foot 3D printed house in the Austin, Texas. The second version of its 3D printing system, the Vulcan II, can 3D print a 800-square-foot house in 24 hours for less than $4000. In New York, AISpaceFactory, that won the NASA 3D Printed Habitat Challenge expanded on its MARSHA design to build TERA, a Mars-inspired future of home concept house.

Winsun from China has already built multi-storied apartment buildings, and has claimed to build 10 houses in 24 hours, while HuaShang Tengda has created two-storied earthquake resistant buildings, over 4000 square feet, in just 45 days. Apis Cor, a pioneering Russian company in 3D printing construction, built a 400 square foot house in 24 hours that costs just over $10,000 to make. The firm also built the “world’s largest” 3D printed building in Dubai, UAE, a country that has pledged to use 3D printing construction technologies for at least 25% of all buildings made by 2030.

In Europe, Italian firm WASP has built one of the largest concrete 3D printers currently in the market, BigDelta, and has built an ‘ecosustainable’ 323 square foot house, Gaia, made using soil, straw and lime. A few weeks ago, one of Europe’s biggest 3D printers from COBOD (Denmark) was used to build a two-story house, Kamp C, in Antwerp, Belgium which saved at lest sixty percent on project materials, time and costs compared to traditional construction methods. In early July this year, a floating home, named ‘Prvok’ was completed, 3D printed in 22 hours using concrete in the Czech Republic. University of Eindhoven is constructing five, one story and multi-story, 3D printed houses, under Project Milestone, in the Netherlands, which will later be available through real estate agencies for customers to purchase and live in.

The advantages of 3D printing are beginning to be realized in residential and commercial-scale construction. In combination with automation and software, the 3D printing approach fundamentally reduces cost, time and improves efficiency in construction. It can be used to build entire houses now, as well as build components (tiles, slabs, and more) or tools (molds and support structures) in construction. These components and materials, from steel, basalt-based materials and improved concrete to straw and soil, may have better structural properties, improve energy efficiency and sustainability, and can be customized or personalized at the unit level. 3D printed construction can happen on-site or off-site and allows for flexibility in deployment and supply chain. 3D printed houses have already proven to meet certification or compliance requirements, to be earthquake resistant, and may be able to withstand extreme conditions or temperatures.

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3D Printing with Cement: Novel Spray-Based Materials

Lu Bing recently presented a thesis, ‘Mixture Design and Processing of Novel Spray-based Cementitious Materials for 3D Printing,’ to the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Nanyang Technological University.

With a focus on 3D printing with concrete, Lu Bing notes the ‘remarkable progress’ being made with such materials—promoting more expanded automation in construction, decreasing the need for labor, and improving efficiency over traditional techniques. This is true in many different applications feeling the positive impacts of 3D printing too, from the medical industry to automotive and aerospace. Construction has seen its uses in bridges and a variety of different aspects of infrastructure—not to mention homes.

Printing and assembly of a 3D printed concrete bridge (Salet et al. 2018): (a) printing of the structure unit; (b) onsite assembly of the bridge. Reproduced under Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, no changes were made to the figures)

Work with cement in 3D printing means the need for research and development regarding materials and inks, along with studies including investigation of sand/binder ratio, mixture optimization, and the use of a variety of materials.

“The 3D printing of cementitious materials could be divided into two phases, i.e. delivery and deposition phases (Lu et al. 2019b),” states Bing. “In the delivery phase, the printable cementitious material is delivered through the hose to the printing nozzle with the pressure provided by the pump. In the deposition phase, the printable cementitious material is deposited in a layer-by-layer manner to build the desired structure. The movement of the printing nozzle is usually controlled by gantry or robotic arm.”

Multi-level material design of 3D printable cementitious materials (Lu et al.
2019b). Reproduced with permission © Elsevier

Robotic arm printing system for large-scale 3D cementitious material
printing (Zhang et al. 2018a). Reproduced with permission © Elsevier

3DPCM requires materials with both good pumpability and good buildability in terms of printing. Good pumpability can be delivered in a streamlined manner from the hose to the nozzle, with little chance of clogging. Good buildability leads to large height with very little deformation, meaning that prints are consistent and stable.

During delivery, concrete materials should exhibit low viscosity, and also low dynamic yield stress for pumpability. During printing, the material should offer high static yield stress.

Unstable or inconsistent flow can lead to serious problems like tearing, or varied dimensions in the layers. With inferior pumpability, however, comes a poor structural performance—and with poor buildability, structures may collapse.

Reinforcements must be added either separate from printing or placed simultaneously during fabrication.

Defects due to poor pumpability

Sprayable materials are pumped through a hose and then sprayed onto the substrate after being injected with air. For greater robustness, a wet-mix is usually used, pouring in water at the nozzle during dry-mix.

“… sufficient material adhesion to the substrate in the experiments was guaranteed in this study. However, lack of material adhesion to substrate can lead to the fall of sprayed materials with large thickness, which may affect material distribution. On the other hand, while there is no relevant study on loading mechanism of overhead spray-based printing, it is suspected that the competition between gravity, cohesion between each layer and adhesion to substrate plays an important role in the deposition,” concluded the researchers.

“Substrates made of different materials may also affect the adhesion. In this thesis, timber plates were used as substrates. For more generic applications, other materials such as steel and hardened concrete can be applied in the future study. Tack test can be adopted to assess the adhesion, where thin plates made of substrate materials can be glued to the two parallel testing plates. Alternatively, overhead spray-based 3D printing can be carried out for different substrates with the same mixture. Through comparison of maximum sprayed layers and failure modes, the adhesion between mixture and different substrates can also be assessed.”

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[Source / Images: ‘Mixture Design and Processing of Novel Spray-based Cementitious Materials for 3D Printing’]

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The Year in Review: The 3D Printing Research Frontiers of 2019—from Medicine to the Moon

The gift of human life is so miraculous that you may find yourself overwhelmed with the complexity of it all if you think too long. The fact that we have streamlined machines for bodies, with numerous efficient, connected systems continually at work within us—from the respiratory system to the nervous system and much more—is extraordinary, to say the least.

You may feel the same way about much technology today too, and understandably so with 3D printing—along with robotics, virtual reality, and even 4D printing. Attempting to comprehend how an inventor like Chuck Hull arrived at the concept of creating such software, hardware, and materials running on so many levels and systems will have you shaking your head. But what about the amazing number of innovations that have come forth via users since the arrival of the first 3D printer in 1983?

3D printed bust of Hull, printed on a 3D Systems ProJet x60 printer, and his famed first 3D printer, the SLA-1.(Photo: National Inventors Hall of Fame)

Researchers today delve deeply not only into what makes the human body tick, but also how to understand, create, and use intricate technology that helps them forge ahead in making discoveries and creating new products and tools for critical applications. And while the medical realm has been heavily impacted by research in 2019 especially, so have many other areas. Beginning with medicine, here are five areas of research that have been the focus of major headlines this year:

Medicine

The innovations within the field of medicine brought forth by 3D printing this year have been spectacular, fascinating—and again, almost beyond comprehension in some ways—for those of us who don’t spend our days in think tanks or in front of microscopes.

It is undeniable that much about 3D printing is fun and games; after all, today you may find a 3D printer in many elementary schools with children learning how to make small objects and trinkets, and you may even find surprisingly young students in your local library in the afternoon or early evening sitting in labs making 3D designs on their own, then watching intently as the layers print one by one from a desktop 3D printer. This is how initial interest turns into a passion for learning and creating, and many of those students may go on to print medical devices such as prosthetics or work on other research projects.

The subject of 3D printing becomes much weightier, however, when we look into the important research that is being done to help patients who may be on the brink of losing their lives–or the quality of life they had always known previously. Researchers are intent on finding better ways to treat patients, especially those who are suffering from cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

3D models can be made to replicate tumors and help surgeons in many ways, from diagnosis and education of patients and their families to helping medical students train, but ultimately surgeons may be able to prepare for some of the most innovative procedures they have ever performed. A 3D model may be with them for a long period of time, spanning from the time of diagnosis until the time it serves as a surgical guide in the operating room for a procedure centered around pediatric orthopedics, as an example.

Over this past year, medical inventors created a host of implants, devices, and more. And from nearly every reach of the world (developed and still developing), volunteers researched ways to help those in need to receive 3D printed prosthetics, as e-NABLE celebrated their eighth anniversary of helping others.

Happy Eighth Anniversary, e-NABLE! (Photo: e-NABLE)

The potential for 3D printed medications continued to emerge also, along with assorted peripheral devices like dispensers. Bioprinting is the standout highlight this year, again, without question though, and although scientists have not reached the true point of printing replacement organs for the human body that will replace the need for donors and waiting lists, they have continued to create incredibly life-life and useful 3D printed models for treatment and training, a 3D printed titanium sternum for a patient desperately in need, and even a mini-heart-part.

A 3D printed mini-heart (Photo: BIOLIFE4D)

This area of 3D printing is only expected to expand further in 2020, and eventually, researchers will reach the holy grail of bioprinting and manufacturing human organs.

(Photo: BIOLIFE4D)

Materials: 3D Printing with Metal & Composites

While researchers in labs continue to create their own software and hardware to complete complicated research studies (often making modifications to existing 3D printers or using open source ware), the study of materials has expanded far beyond what we would have imagined years ago. Today, not only is 3D printing with metal continuing to grow, researchers are learning more about composites that can strengthen metal powders, like particle reinforced metal composites, helpful in major applications and industries like aerospace, automotive and much more.

Schematic of nanoparticle distribution in TiC/Ti nanocomposite powders produced by ball milling and direct mixing, prepared for SLM. (Photo: Singapore University of Technology and Design)

Combinations of additives and metals (as well as polymers) open up even more options to scientists, but also manufacturers in nearly every industry, from carmakers to the military. 3D printing with metal in space has been a focal point for researchers too, advancing in the micro- or zero-gravity environment.

Aerospace

Scientists never seem to tire of research regarding space travel, colonization, materials for building on-demand away from Earth, and so much more. While of course much of the research is driven by NASA, the public is continually fascinated by the idea of traveling to Mars in the near future—or any type of space colonization, which of course must be accompanied by a variety of options in construction, to include robotics. Again, materials and composites are an important area of study for researchers, such as sintering thermoset composites at high temperatures, and other research into aerospace technology.

From ‘Sintering Thermoset Composites at High Temperatures for Aerospace Applications‘ (Image: ‘Laser Sintering of Thermoset Polyimide Composites’)

Many different engine components have been created too, along with extensive research studies regarding engine thrusters and other parts for optimizing rockets and satellite technology.

Construction

While the reality of 3D printed housing being available to all in the very near future may be a stretch, advances have been made in the fabrication of constructions on all levels from offices to nice houses to tiny homes and possible affordable housing.

[Image: 3DPrinthuset]

Massive 3D printers have been manufactured by researchers in numerous countries, with the idea of offering incredible benefits to construction companies such as affordability, on-demand (and rapid) production, less need for men on the job, and more. These printers may also be capable of creating entire communities quickly.

The WASP 3D printer will fabricate circular, affordable housing. (Image: WASP 3D)

Harkening back to the study of materials, concrete is of ongoing interest as researchers find a multitude of ways to extrude what has always been a very conventional substance. Now, scientists are making alternatives for construction such as concrete foam panels, geo-polymer concrete meant to replace conventional manufacturing methods, along with creating more lightweight spatial structures—using one of the greatest benefits in 3D printing as much lighter parts can be made—and often, parts that simply were not possible to create before at all via traditional techniques.

Concrete foam panels (Photo: ‘Fiber-reinforced lightweight foamed concrete panels suitable for 3D printing applications’)

Energy and Power Generation

From porous anodes to new techniques for creating batteries, researchers continue to find new ways to store energy—as well as creating it. Wind turbines have received a lot of attention from the 3D printing realm, as parts can be created and maintained easier. Scientists around the globe are trying to figure out better ways to use wind turbines, as they have an endless source of energy but historically can be expensive and challenging to deal with overall. With 3D printing, researchers have been able to explore ways to refine smaller wind turbine designs too.

Force and velocity vector acting on the cross-section of a HAWT blade, θ⌢ is the tangential direction of the blade. (Photo: ‘Small wind generation using complex airfoil turbine’}

What do you think of this review of 2019 research in 3D printing? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

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3D Printing in the Construction Industry: Still Evolving

In ‘Success Factors for 3D Printing Technology Adoption in Construction,” thesis student Pankhuri Pimpley at the University of Maryland, College Park, explores not only the history and benefits of 3D printing but also its effectiveness overall in a competitive, demanding market.

While 3D printing was created in the 1980s and introduced to the construction industry in the 90s, its purpose in that application was mainly for rapid prototyping. Such a process offers huge benefits to industrial users, but as with so many other industries and applications, it wasn’t long before ambitious users wanted to use digital fabrication to make real parts.

General 3D printing process (S. Lim et al., 2012)

As further advances in automation are still needed for the construction industry, 3D printing has become a very attractive option. The advantages abound too—from more savings on the bottom line to greater efficiency and less need for labor, to a continually expanding array of available materials. The author’s discussion as to why 3D printing is needed in construction is compelling:

“The construction industry has been slow in adopting new methods and innovations due to deep confidence in the efficiency of traditional processes, materials and codes. Since no change or innovation proposes growth of the sector, the construction industry has one of the lowest productivity increases compared to other industries. It is even more important to automate construction activities given the risks associated with it,” states the author.

“About 400,000 people are injured or killed every year in the USA during construction. These injuries and fatalities eventually translate to costs for society. Construction is also prone to corruption and political feuds. Hence the primary need for 3DP in construction is to reduce or eliminate human involvement in the design and development of the structure. It is also important that 3D printing be considered a standard construction practice by code bodies. Accepting the innovation can help set a common standard for global construction and solve the problem of labor skill variation from demographics and experience.”

3DP frame of concrete printing system (Sungwoo Lim et al.,2018)

Large-scale mobile printers are popular in the construction industry, and we have followed many of them such as the WASP 3D printer, which has been used for the beginnings of creating an entire community, along with tiny houses, and more. Pimpley points out numerous other examples too of companies with ambitious plans also, many of them eager to build small structures in record time—including Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, planning to print five single-story, two-bedroom residences.

Startups offering range of 3DP services

Pimpley also gave great attention to how socioeconomics might affect 3D printing, along with considering how to manage such factors in the future. One of the most important items that Pimpley points out, however, is that within the construction industry overall, the actual usefulness of 3D printing is ‘still limited.’ The author explains to us that this is due to certain issues related to society, the general market, and other business-related reasons.

“Nine success factors and forty-two corresponding measurement items have been identified and analyzed through literature review, case studies, surveys, interviews and correspondence with worldwide construction 3D printing experts and professionals. All factors are finally determined important to consider for the success of a construction 3DP project at its current phase. Relative significance of the factors and measurement items have been determined based on 82 questionnaire survey responses,” concluded the researcher.

“Altogether, the findings can help achieve an understanding of 3DP and increase the likelihood of successful adoption in various sectors within construction.”

Eindhoven’s proposed home design (“3D Printed Homes – 4 Most Fascinating Projects in 2019”, 2019, February 20).

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.

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University of Stuttgart Investigating Reinforcement of 3D Printed Concrete

The interest in 3D printed concrete continues to skyrocket – after all, who wouldn’t be interested in a solution that could allow for extremely rapid construction of structures like bridges and houses? Researchers are also looking into using 3D printed reinforced concrete, including a trio of thesis students from the University of Stuttgart‘s Institute for Computational Design. For their thesis preparation project, Hosna Shayani, Marie Razzhivina, and Jacob Zindroski published a paper titled “Fabrication strategies for precise application of reinforcement in 3D-printed concrete” that discussed their ReCrete project, which aims to use tailored reinforcement to “expand the design space of 3D printed concrete.”

“Concrete is at a technological crossroad,” the paper states. “The implementation of the material has not relatively changed in the last century in its use, with the exception of the last twenty years. Concrete 3D printing is the answer to the materials advancement for future applications. What we seek in this research is to expand the design space of 3D printed concrete (3DCP) through tailored reinforcement. This would begin to bridge the initial design process closer to its ultimate realization.”

The team’s work falls under digital and physical categories, such as the design process, fabrication of a robotic tool and simulation; they did not look deeply into design parametrization, new materials, or structural performance of prototypes.

They explained the relevance of their topic in terms of:

design advancement
using concrete to create complex designs
3D printing concrete
the potential of 3DCP

“Currently design has two greater purposes it must serve before it can be produced,” the researchers wrote. “With the current capabilities of the tools we as architects can use, we need to be aware of the potentials and understand the expectations of the production of large scale geometries, either through specific geometric creation or optimized designs.”

Topological optimized design. [Source: All3dp]

While we have the tools create a multitude of forms and geometries, the team noted that we have to consider fabrication “at a fundamental level” during development. Concrete has been around for a very long time, and gives designers more freedom than materials such as stone.

“Choosing to work with concrete for our research was partially based on its wide use and high consumption. What we seek is to further optimize the use of the material as it is related to the construction process. Some of the important characteristics of concrete that need to be considered is its intrinsic behavior,” the researchers explained.

Conceptual outlook of concrete 3D printed structure

Concrete is less expensive, and has good compressive strength, but it fails if any tensile force is exerted on it. So the team wanted to explore how to improve the material’s tensile properties, as well as “the optimization and improvement of complex geometric forms.”

“What 3DCP can give the designers is command over how the material is implemented. No longer will molds be the determining factor of complex geometric morphologies. We can now leverage a technology that can begin to assert itself as a more finite process,” the team stated.

“Not only that but if 3DCP becomes a finite process, then you remove the time it takes to complete a project. As a result what could typically take months in production can be completed in days depending on the complexity. The mold, scaffolding, and physical labor is removed. 3DCP is the emancipation that designers need for future construction methods.”

However, as we know, 3DCP is not without its problems – limited to its own buildability angles because of its properties, the material takes longer to set and hold shape, and angles lower than 60° require support material for direct printing.

How the research intends to situate itself.

At the moment, the materials used to reinforce concrete are inmixed or continuous steel rebar, but the researchers are interested in using segmented steel instead, and having it inserted during the 3D printing process itself, as opposed to a post-processing task.

“The method in which we see this being accomplished is through the use of a robotic tool alongside the printing process. Using a typical FDM method this research is attempting to create an all in one operation, of printing while reinforcing. The reinforcement will happen simultaneous to the printing. What we seek from this procedure is the inclusion of tensile elements in the printing process, for the simultaneous mechanism allows for continuous construction without slowing the printing time.”

ETH Zurich’s RockPrint

The researchers listed some examples of 3D printed reinforced concrete currently being worked on by the likes of companies like Apis Cor and Contour Crafting and research institutes such as ETH Zurich.

After looking at these examples, they concluded that their structure for reinforcement should be both segmented and tailored.

“Fragments of reinforcement would ideally be placed into freshly deposited layers of concrete sequentially, allowing the resulting tailored shape to grow at the same pace with the concrete 3D printed shape,” the team explained.

“Segmented reinforcements have a wide variety and considerable potential to be used in construction. Robotic insertion of segemented reinforcement matches perfectly with our fabrication method, because of its additive logic.”

The team used both structural and fabrication reinforcement in their research: the former will improve the structural strength of the concrete structure, while the latter will act partially as a formwork for support purposes and help achieve a greater overhang angle. A particle-based simulation tool was used to figure out how the concrete would behave.

In the paper, the researchers outlined their overall workflow process, which is broken down into three parts – design, particle and structural simulation, and fabrication. For material testing, they used a “ready-mix low pressure spray repair mortar with compression strength of 42.7 MPa and tensile strength of 3.3 MPa.” The first stage of testing required mixing the material with different water ratios to find the best consistency for extrusion; a 15.6 % ratio was determined to have the least amount of slumping. Then they tested the mixture during 3D printing, and looked into the best time to add the reinforcement:

“Regarding reinforcement insertion, we deduced that it should happen within the mixture’s set time of 60 minutes, which we confirmed with an experiment. If performed outside of set time, the insertion disturbed
the extrusion’s structure, resulting in cracking and breaking. “

Wait test between 3D printing layers. Left is 1 min wait between layers, right is 2 min wait time.

They also investigated how they could get a more extreme overhang by reinforcing extruded angles. Their fabrication system was a user input that works with an ABB robot, and they were also able to interface directly between both Grasshopper and Rhino and the fabrication process itself.

“What we see as a potential avenue for us to expand on is applying custom oriented reinforcement to the extrusion. The challenging part is at what length should the reinforcement be and how far can the insertion of the reinforcement go,” the researchers explained. “Another issue is also the degree of angle we can achieve from a fabrication process the insertion of the reinforcement. These constraints help inform what is plausible for a fabrication strategy.”

Opening and Branch. Tested for angles, FEA, and particle simulation

The team also outlined a design library for shapes that could be easily fabricated with their system, and used a high fidelity scanner to verify the accuracy of the 3D printed concrete models. Finally, they created the final demonstrator model: an architectural enclosure which was considered a non load-bearing structure. The researchers were able to finish their research at the Autodesk Buildspace in Boston.

“In production of this demonstrator there were great achievements and shortcomings during the process,” they stated.

“Some of the challenges were the printing system. There were times of over extrusion, because of unstable pressure during the deposition, which caused issues along the printing.

“What we were successful in was the creation of tailoring reinforcement in concrete 3D printing. It was exciting to begin to see the concept start to achieve angles greater than what can currently be produced with traditional concrete printing methods.”

Final demonstrator

They hope that by adding additional technologies, they can improve upon this research even further.

“There is rich territory for this method to contribute to the current state of concrete printing. And 3D printing in general,” the researchers concluded. “The technology is becoming less of a prototyping process and more of a self-sufficient realizing technique.”

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

[Images by University of Stuttgart research team, unless otherwise noted]

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3D Printing News Briefs: April 10, 2019

We’ve got some business news for you in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, before moving on to an upcoming industry event and new materials. 3DVinci Creations and the American University in Dubai will establish a facility for concrete 3D printing, while Telset signed a contract with Relativity. Lincoln Electric has acquired Baker Industries for its 3D printing technology, and Jabil is sharing the results of its survey report on 3D printing. Next month is the NAMIC Summit, with its flagship DfAM event, and Nile Polymers has announced two new PVDF filaments.

Agreement Signed to Establish Center for 3D Concrete Printing

A cooperation agreement was signed between 3DVinci Creations, the American University in Dubai (AUD), Arabtec Construction Company, and global engineering consultancy firm Robert Bird Group to establish The Center for 3D Concrete Printing and Digital Construction on AUD’s campus. The scientific research center, equipped with a 3DVinci Creations 3D printer, will serve researchers from the university’s three project partners, as well as university students and members of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. It will build partnerships, create a consortium of academic, government, and industry entities interested in the growing 3D concrete printing and digital construction fields, work with state officials to promote 3D printing culture in construction, and eventually develop and administer training workshops and seminars on concrete 3D printing.

“With this cooperation agreement, we aim to perform strategic analyses of the present and future capabilities of 3D Concrete Printing and of digitally-driven construction systems. The Center will work with local regulatory bodies to develop newly updated building codes that pertain to 3D printed buildings and structures,” said Edouard Baaklini, CEO of 3DVinci Creations. “We will also develop cost models of 3D Printed Concrete buildings and structures together with tools for value analysis vis-à-vis traditional construction methodologies.”

Relativity Signs Contract with Telesat

Los Angeles 3D printed rocket manufacturer Relativity just signed its first public, multi-year commercial contract with satellite services vendor Telesat. This is a big deal, as it’s the first agreement between a major satellite operator and a venture-backed “New Space” industry company. It costs about $10 million for Relativity to launch a 1,250 kg payload to low Earth orbit – a price that’s $10 to $20 million less than it would be using a European Ariane rocket or Indian PSLV rocket. The company can keep its costs down by using automation and metal 3D printing in its design and manufacturing processes, and claims its rockets can be made in just 60 days, with far less components. Relativity has completed 136 engine tests and is currently testing its avionics systems, with the first launch of its 3D printed Terran 1 rocket scheduled for the end of 2020.

“Early in our LEO program we decided that, in addition to working with outstanding leaders in satellite manufacturing and launch services who we know well, Telesat should also include New Space companies whose technologies and manufacturing methods offer lower costs and greater flexibility for deploying our constellation. Relativity is just such a company with their metal 3D printing, use of robotics and other advances,” said Dave Wendling, Telesat’s CTO. “Telesat continues to establish a world-class supplier team to construct, deploy and operate our global LEO network and we are very pleased to welcome Relativity to the Telesat LEO program.”

Lincoln Electric Acquires Baker Industries

According to a report published last year by SmarTech Industries, the global additive manufacturing market grew 18% to reach $9.3 billion in size, and Lincoln Electric (LECO) wanted a piece of that pie. The company announced that it has acquired Detroit-based Baker Industries, which developed 3D printing tech for the aerospace and automotive industries, for an undisclosed sum as part of a previously announced initiative to expand into the AM industry.

Baker was founded in 1992 to manufacture custom fixtures, parts, and tooling that are Nadcap-accredited, AS9100D-certified, and adhere to the tough aerospace quality management standards. While you can learn more about its services in the video below, Baker primarily offers CNC machining, design, fabrication, prototyping, quality assurance, tooling, and 3D printing services to its customers. With its acquisition of Baker, Lincoln will be able to position itself in the ever growing AM, automation, and tooling sector.

Jabil Shares Results of Survey Report

According to the 2019 Additive Materials and 3D Printing study by Jabil, the practical applications in 3D printing have grown significantly over the last two years. The company surveyed over 300 professionals who are responsible for 3D printing at manufacturing companies, and found that the technology has found its way into almost every step of production, though prototyping still remains the most popular application.

Jabil shared how several key industries, such as medical, transportation, and aerospace, are using the technology today, and reported that 25% of respondents said that 3D printing can be as much as 20 times faster than traditional forms of manufacturing – obviously a major benefit. Jabil itself has adopted the technology at some of its sites because it takes 3D printing very seriously, and believes that the technology “has unlimited potential in the future.” Nearly all of the survey’s respondents said they expected their companies’ 3D printing use to increase over the next two to five years. You can read the full survey report here.

DfAM Conference at NAMIC Summit Coming Up

Next month in Singapore, the 2019 NAMIC Summit will take place from May 6-10, with its flagship event – the Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) Conference & AM Industry Showcase – happening on May 7th at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre. You can register now for the event to take advantage of early bird rates.

You can spend the day meeting other like-minded professionals in networking sessions, or take in a presentation by one of over ten distinguished speakers who will be sharing their knowledge about simulation and modeling, industrial applications of digital design solutions, and generative design For example, John Barnes, the founder and managing director of The Barnes Group Advisors, will be speaking about “Design for Manufacturing: The Transformative Role of Design in Driving Innovation in the Future of Manufacturing” at 9:30 am, and the CEO and co-founder of Assembrix Ltd, Lior Polak, will present “Distributed Manufacturing in Action: Dynamic Machine Allocation and Real-Time Monitoring at 1:30 pm.

Nile Polymers Introduces New Additions to Fluorinar PVDF Family

Utah-based Nile Polymers, which offers an industrial-grade PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) filament based on Arkema’s Kynar PVDF material, just announced the addition of two new filaments to its Fluorinar PVDF family – Fluorinar-B and Fluorinar-ESD, also built on Arkema’s Kynar. Chemical-resistant Fluorinar filaments differ from other PVDF materials because they don’t have any additional diluents or polymer additives, and they are tough, flexible, high-strength, and offer flame suppression and UV protection qualities. Sample filaments are available for both

Black-colored Fluorinar-B combines the company’s Fluorosmooth adhesive, which increases the surface energy of a print at its interface with a glass build plate, with the dependability of Kynar PVDF, and carbon pigment increases the part’s tensile strength and permeation resistance as well. Graphene-enhanced electrostatic dissipation (ESD) filament Fluorinar-ESD is perfect for applications that have parts which can’t tolerate static build-up, and calibrates impact strength and melt viscosity carefully so the final part is durable and strong.

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Saudi Arabian Construction Company Purchases BOD2 Large-Scale Construction 3D Printer

3D Printed BOD

This past fall, Denmark’s 3D Printhuset, which specializes in 3D printed construction without all of the noisy hype, created a new company focused solely on its 3D printing construction activities called COBOD International, which stands for Construction Building On Demand. Copenhagen-based COBOD is now responsible for the manufacture and sale of the company’s modular BOD2 construction 3D printer, which is ten times faster than its previous iteration and is capable of creating a smoother surface finish, due to its use of a square print nozzle.

The BOD2, is one of the largest construction 3D printers in the world, is also the only second generation 3D construction printer on the market. COBOD quickly made a name for itself by besting its competitors in winning the first EU tender for a 3D construction printer in 2018. In another major endorsement of its technology that same year, multinational German Peri Group, one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of formwork and scaffolding systems, acquired a minority stake in the construction 3D printing company.

Now COBOD is celebrating another big 3D printing endorsement – Elite for Construction & Development Co., a Saudi Arabian construction company, has just placed an order for the BOD2.

“We are very proud to receive this order from Saudi Arabia, which again confirms that our second generation BOD2 3D construction printer is second to none. Not only is the BOD2 the fastest 3D construction printer in the world, but the modular approach of the BOD2 allowed us to deliver the size that Elite For Construction & Development wanted, a printer capable of printing buildings of more than 300 square meters,” said Henrik Lund-Nielsen, the CEO of COBOD International.

“The sheer size of the new printer is impressive. This will by far be the biggest 3D construction printer ever made and with the printer Elite For Construction & Development Co. will be able to do construction projects previously unthinkable for a 3D construction printer. When compared to the BOD building we did, it is clear that Elite for Construction & Development Co. is taking 3D construction printing into brand new territories. With this printer they will be capable of gaining a leading position not only for the 3D construction printing of private houses, but also for medium sized offices and public buildings like museums, schools etc.”

The BOD2 will be the first of its kind in the country, and was purchased in response to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which is working to improve not only the country’s economy, but also its housing situation, by adopting modern construction methods. In this regard, Saudi Arabia is matching Dubai with its 3D construction printing ambitions.

The country needs to build nearly 2 million private houses over the next decade, and some of its top public organizations and private companies would be more likely to use 3D construction printing if the technology could be provided locally, and permanently, by a Saudi company. As the BOD2 hopes to 3D print three-story buildings with each story measuring over 300 square meters, it seems like the perfect fit.

“We will make this revolutionizing technology available in all of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We will be able to carry out projects with our own crews and based on 3D printable concrete made locally. This will bring costs significantly down compared to temporary imported printers using foreign made materials,” explained Saad Al Shathri, the General Manager of Elite for Construction & Development Co. “With the 3D construction printing technology we will be able to do projects almost impossible with conventional technology, and we will build faster and cheaper than before. At the same time we decided to invest in a very large printer, such that the scope of projects we can carry out will be as big as possible.”

COBOD will deliver the BOD2 3D printer to Elite for Construction & Development Co. in Saudi Arabia at the end of May.

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LRC Workshop Explores Potential of Using 3D Printing in the Lighting Industry

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, headquartered in Troy, NY, is dedicated to the study of lighting and education in associated applications. This is a multi-faceted realm, including everything from how light affects human health, to issues in transportation, and advances in big industry like aerospace and construction. Recently, scientists there have been exploring the uses of new technology for commercial lighting—and how it can affect businesses. A recent discovery workshop, offered in cooperation with Carbon Group Global, brought together a wide range of companies to discuss the potential for 3D printing in lighting and related industries.

Participating companies included:

Acuity Brands Lighting
Current by GE
Desktop Metal
DSM
Eaton Corp.
Finelite
Focal Point
Henkel
HP
Hubbell Lighting
Lumileds
Stratasys
Tempo Lighting
Ultimaker
Carbon Group Global

“We are thrilled to host such a pioneering effort with industry leaders who have a shared vision of adopting 3D printing in the lighting and construction industries,” said LRC Director of Research Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., chief architect of the workshop.

According to a recent press release by LRC, this group plans to begin development on an ‘industry roadmap’ that will integrate 3D printing into multiple different areas, along with lighting, but with a strong focus on both building and construction

”We are steadily embarking on the fourth Industrial Revolution, which is enabling capabilities like additive manufacturing to be adopted rapidly, thanks to advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning and enhanced connectivity,” said industry veteran Govi Rao, leader of the workshop.

Customization is one of the most obvious benefits for 3D printing in the lighting industry, along with the ability to create affordable prototypes and parts that can be made quickly on-site and on demand. LRC and the associated businesses working with them now see the future of 3D printing in lighting positively affecting everyone involved in the supply chain, along with translating further into accompanying applications like heat sinks, electrical traces, and optics.

“We are excited that the lighting industry is taking a proactive approach to integrate 3D printing into their operations. I am extremely optimistic about the possibilities enabled by 3D printing, specifically for the various stakeholders in the lighting value chain,” said Hugo da Silva, VP of Additive Manufacturing at DSM, a pioneer in 3D printing materials for more than 25 years.

3D printing has steadily been making its entry into construction, both residential and commercial, with massive forays also into the development and expansion of materials like concrete. Lighting is an industry that allows designers to bring forth style, color, and a wide range of fixtures in different shapes and materials, making it ripe for further exploration into 3D printing and other technologies appealing to commercial companies and DIY’ers, from pendant lighting to impressive installations. Find out more about current projects at progressive companies like the Lighting Research Company here.

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[Source / Images: Press release from Lighting Research Center]

Italy: WASP Engineers Make A Model Tiny Home Partially Out of 3D Printed Waste

Rice husks were used to insulate the walls of the Gaia model home.

We’ve have been following WASP for years, along with keeping tabs on progress at the village of Shamballa, a small and extremely progressive Italian community featuring homes fabricated with impressive, large-scale 3D printers. If you want a glimpse into what can be expected, look at Gaia, a model with an outer shell and beams constructed from organic material like soil and agricultural waste. The home measures 30 square meters (just over 320 square feet) and is on site at Massa Lombardo, at Shamballa, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

Gaia was 3D-printed using natural materials in Italy.

Although 3D printing has been a tremendous boon to myriad industries manufacturing parts and prototypes created from an ever-expanding range of plastics and metals, many users have delved deep into the study of material sciences—and ways to use the technology that are environmentally friendly. The 3D printing materials for Gaia were created from a biodegradable recipe of mud at the Shamballa site, plus waste from rice farming like straw and husks used for their natural insulating qualities.

“Gaia is the result of a limited and optimized use of agricultural resources, which through technology have been converted into a complex building with a minimal environmental footprint,” the WASP development team explained in a recent interview.

“If the building isn’t maintained, it will turn back into soil,” said WASP regarding the small home.

The Crane WASP printer at work in Italy.

The technique and resourcefulness used in this project demonstrate the potential for diversified materials usage in 3D printing and construction overall; in fact, waste materials from a widely produced commodity like rice can be turned into insulation so effective that it may reduce or eliminate the use of other heating methods during the colder months in Italy.

“It is possible to conceive a future scenario in which one hectare of cultivated paddy field can become 100 square-meters of built environment,” WASP said.

Empty pockets are created within the walls allowing for ventilation and efficiency overall. Husks were also used in the roofing materials for further warmth and protection. The most intrinsic benefits of 3D printing in construction are on display with this model home that cost less than a thousand pounds to make and was completed in only ten days. And while the benefit of ‘making less waste’ is highly touted, here the team is using waste; also, the WASP team believes numerous other natural waste materials could become useful in construction around the world.

The use of natural materials like rice waste was integral in the production of Gaia.

“Gaia is a highly performing structure in terms of energy, with almost no environmental impact,” said the WASP development team.

3D printing in construction is a topic that gets builders, developers, and consumers at every level excited because of the true potential it has for changing nearly every process of the building and even selling process; in fact, in some cases, building a home via 3D printing may become an inexpensive DIY process leading not only to opportunities to anyone with the wherewithal to assemble a small construction, but also continuing to add to options for developing countries and areas in need of housing during disaster relief. Builders today have already used 3D printing for off-the-grid smart homes, tiny homes, pods, and other protective structures, even including bus stop shelters. Find out more about WASP and their ongoing 3D printing projects here.

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[Source / Video and Images: Dezeen]

3D Printed Bridge Was a Labor of Love for Army Engineer

[Image courtesy of US Army Engineer Research and Development Center]

At Camp Pendleton in Southern California, mechanical engineer Megan Kreiger with the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center spent some time recently working with a team on a project that would have been unheard of not too long ago: a 3D printed bridge. Thanks to developments in large-scale 3D printing technology and construction materials, there are now several 3D printed bridges, both metal and concrete, installed around the world. Kreiger and her team 3D printed a 32-foot-long reinforced concrete footbridge, but Kreiger has bigger goals in mind. She wants to 3D print a modern-day version of a Bailey bridge.

“It would be phenomenal if we could make a bridge that could support a tank,” she said.

3D printing the footbridge wasn’t exactly easy, though, thanks to the weather – when Kreiger first arrived, it was raining so hard that there were mudslides.

“It’s hard to print in torrential downpours,” she said. “It was crazy.”

The bridge was successfully printed, however, and it wasn’t the first successful large-scale 3D printing project that Kreiger has led. She was involved in last year’s endeavor to 3D print concrete barracks, the first full-scale 3D printed reinforced concrete building in the United States engineered for permitting. 32 x 16 feet with eight-foot-tall walls, the barracks was 3D printed using a deployable printer designed to be used by troops in remote locations.

[Image: Sarah Saunders]

Kreiger first learned about 3D printing at Michigan Technological University, where she ran the 3D printing lab during her graduate studies in material science and engineering. She joined the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center in 2015, and has been responsible for the development of a new type of concrete for 3D printed construction. She and her family own three 3D printers themselves, one that she built herself. They have 3D printed a variety of items, including an orange juicer, magnets, brackets and self-scans.

Captain Matt Friedell is Program Manager for the Marine Corps Systems Command’s construction additive manufacturing, the main sponsor for the 3D printed barracks project. He was impressed by Kreiger’s passion for the technology when he first met her in 2016.

[Image: Sarah Saunders]

“She spoke in grand terms of where the technology will take humanity in the future,” he said. “She took that vision and used it as the kindling to ignite others’ imaginations.”

Kreiger’s enthusiasm for additive manufacturing and construction has led her to build great things with the technology already, and she has plenty of plans to create a lot more in the future. Not only does 3D printing cut back on the human labor required for construction, it allows for quick establishment of housing, bridges and more in remote, otherwise hard to reach areas – which can be a lifesaver for not only the military but civilians as well.

“My goal is to establish additive construction as a viable method and introduce the benefits of large-scale 3D printing to military and commercial construction,” Kreiger said. “I want to push forward and test the limits of the construction industry.”

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[Source: Engineering News Record]