3d printed homes Archives - Perfect 3D Printing Filament

Twente AM Live Streams Large-Scale 3D Printing of Concrete Formwork

Dutch company Twente Additive Manufacturing B.V. (Twente AM, or TAM) is working to change the home building industry for the better, by challenging traditional construction methods through the use of automation and additive manufacturing. The company hasn’t been around that long, but had a big goal for its inaugural year in business – to create a large-scale 3D printer using an ABB 9-axis robot that is placed on a gantry-like structure for a large build footprint.

I’d say that Twente AM definitely succeeded in its mission. The structure supporting the conventional robot is able to move around enough so that it can build structures that are five meters high and ten meters long, which gives it a pretty impressive footprint of 391 m³….for comparison, a 6-axis robot can only complete a job with a 42 m³ footprint, but the rotational 9th axis that Twente AM added takes it the extra distance.

Ian Comishin, the President and Co-Founder of Twente Additive Manufacturing, explained in a press release that “The main role of this huge printer will be to create leave-in-place formwork for the construction of concrete homes to be built in British Columbia.”

The release goes on to explain that the extremely detailed prints its robotic AM system is capable of creating are made with a mortar material, which can rapidly cure within minutes to create artistic features and complex shapes that conventional methods of manufacturing just can’t complete. According to a video that the company released, parametric CAD/CAM software is directly connected to the large-scale printer, and makes these shapes through the use of algorithms.

The applications for Twente AM’s new 3D robotic 3D printing system include industrial architecture and building houses. That’s why the company took a pretty big risk in marketing its machine, only a few days after completing it, by live streaming its operation at the 40th Big5 international building and construction show in Dubai. Every day during the show, the team in Canada woke up at 2 am to get the machine started for the day. Check out the video to see the live 3D printing of Twente AM’s “record breaking concrete parts” below:

“Without hiding our failures, we gave them a taste of 3D concrete printing,” the video states.

And there were indeed some failures, though as awed exhibition attendees could probably tell you, most of the complicated parts they fabricated were completed successfully. The team in Canada showed off the system’s fancy footwork with intricate designs, had a little fun in making an Arabic beach cabana, and also created some necessary parts for its ongoing project, such as a formwork for the loading dock.

The Twente AM team is obviously thrilled with the results of what I’d call a pretty big gamble, which is making many in the industry think harder about what 3D printing is capable of in the architecture field. But the company also recognizes that they wouldn’t be where they are today without the help of many colleagues – collaboration is key to making these kinds of big advances.

“We couldn’t be where we are now without collaborating with other talented members of the industry…We didn’t make this ourselves, this technology is at the very early adoption stage and working with the other companies and academic institutions throughout the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, The UK and Canada who are taking on the challenge of solving 3D printing for home building is what Twente’s foundation is built upon,” said Tim Brodesser, head of R&D.

I’m pretty impressed with Twente AM’s work, and even more impressed by the fact that they live streamed the 3D printing process at a crowded exhibition not long after completing the system. It reminds me of something I witnessed two years ago in Illinois, by invitation of the US Army’s Engineer Research and Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL).

ACES demo (Image: Sarah Saunders for 3DPrint.com)

The team performed a live demonstration of its Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures (ACES) technology by attempting to fabricate a 512 square foot barracks within 24 hours of continuous 3D printing; I say attempt because they did not succeed. But that’s what was so refreshing – we often hear a lot of hype about 3D printed construction, without much to back the claims up. So it’s really great to see teams that are brave enough to let others watch the process live, even if it may fail a time or two.

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

(Images provided by Twente Additive Manufacturing)

The post Twente AM Live Streams Large-Scale 3D Printing of Concrete Formwork appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

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]

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.

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 / Video and Images: Dezeen]

Indian Institute of Technology Madras Develops 3D Printed Homes That Take Three Days to Build

As 3D printing just continues to gain traction around the world—contributing enormous benefits and innovation to a wide range of industries—India has been embracing the technology and making strides with many different applications. Now, faculty and alumni at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras have developed a new program for 3D printed construction technology and have fabricated their first building.

Meant to act as a start-up for a ‘re-envisioned construction process,’ the academic team is currently developing a 3D printing process that will allow them to create 320-foot, one-story homes within three days each. They are working from a progressive prototype that has already been created at the Institute, offering a concept that allows them to use all the benefits of 3D printing to fulfill the demands for housing in India. Affordability is a huge factor, along with speed in production time, less need for construction labor, and less challenge in transporting more expensive, and dense, materials.

“Building Technology and Construction Management Division at IIT Madras is a unique Research Group in the country which has the expertise in materials as well as construction technologies which is relevant to this effort,” said Prof. Koshy Varghese, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras.

“We have been working on developing 3D printing technology in the area of Construction from 2016 and have conducted International Workshops and awareness sessions for this in Chennai. In addition, the institute is exploring automated construction methods and novel formwork systems for rapid housing construction.”

Along with this current startup, IIT Madras is working with other government divisions to encourage education about—and the use of—technologies like 3D printing.

“3D printing of concrete gives a new dimension to construction. This technology can best meet the complex demands of modern architecture with concrete. The use of a combination of binders and optimally proportioned and sized aggregates, along with suitable chemical additives, the concrete mixture is fine tuned to achieve the rheological characteristics that make it possible for extrusion of the material and shape retention after placement,” said Prof Manu Santhanam, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras.

The government realizes the need for innovation in construction processes as housing issues become further pressing:

“It is very heartening to see that institutions like IIT Madras and new startups such as Tvasta building technologies like 3D printing for construction sector in India from the ground up under the ‘Make in India’ platform,” said Kranthi Valluru, Assistant Secretary, MoH UA. “Such technologies help in expediting construction with optimal use of resources. They help in bringing a paradigm shift in construction sector which is very much the need of the hour.”

Aside from prototypes, it is expected that Tvasta will produce the first 3D printed homes within a year.

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: The Hans India]

Indian Institute of Technology Madras faculty and alumni have developed the country’s first 3D Printing Construction Technology and have successfully built India’s first 3D Printed Structure.

3D Printing in Residential Construction: Today’s Potential

As 3D printing began to infiltrate the mainstream in recent years—and all around the world—researchers, designers, engineers, and makers in nearly every field found a way to embrace the technology, enticed by infinite opportunities for creation, and many of which would not have been possible previously.

You may have found yourself joking initially that soon everything around us would be 3D printed, imagining the perfect family living in their 3D printed home with a 3D printed car, and the ability to 3D print everything from within! And true, it didn’t take long for strides to take hold in the construction (or automotive industry) industry, with homes, offices, and other structures being 3D printed from The Netherlands to China, and many other places in between; in fact, an entire village is being 3D printed in Italy.

As interest grows in 3D printing a variety of different residential structures, there is curiosity by many as to how this will affect the future of the construction industry—leading up to Jeffrey Hammond’s research paper, ‘3D Printing Homes Impact on the Residential Construction Industry.’ A researcher in construction management from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Hammond discusses how new technology like 3D printing could help construction companies become more efficient.

Easy on-site assembly of fabricated pieces is a plus in construction 3D printing. Both a track-based printer (a track system is built into the foundation) and a radius printer (sitting in the middle of the home and printing upward and outward) are being used for most 3D construction projects today. Not only do these machines cut down on material waste, but they eliminate the need for manpower too:

“The only labor that is necessary is the labor needed to build the foundation, the roof, and any labor needed to build block-outs for windows and doors,” states Hammond. “Labor is eliminated to a large extent but given its current limitations and its layer by layer method of building, windows and doors need block-outs installed in order for the process to continue unless you want a completely enclosed structure with no natural light.”

“One of the largest limitations to the technology currently is the inability to print the roof which ensures that additional cost will be need to build the roof through current typical means and methods.”

An artist impression of the five 3D-printed concrete houses that will be realized in Eindhoven. [Image: Houben/Van Mierlo architects]

While there are other challenges such as the initial startup cost in purchasing 3D printing equipment for construction, issues with home aesthetics, and other factors inevitably to be discovered, the benefits are substantial, to include:

Rapid turnaround for homebuilding projects – allowing contractors to take on considerably more work each year, creating much more profit
Greater efficiency due to the additive manufacturing process, in comparison to subtractive processes which take more time and create more waste
Exponentially less cost due to the decreased need for construction labor and materials such as wood
Less challenge in having materials delivered to jobsites

From ‘3D Printing Homes Impact on the Residential Construction Industry.’

Hammond goes on to examine further potential for 3D printing residences in lower income areas:

“This technology has tremendous potential to impact those that don’t need anything besides a roof over their heads and security at night. No builder can turn around and build 3D printed homes for a profit currently based off what can be learned through research, yet his shouldn’t stop those that don’t intend to make a profit and are just trying to help the world and create a large amount of goodwill.”

“There are places around the world where the building restrictions are lower and the ability to mass produce these homes for those impoverished is vital humanitarian work. 3D printed homes can also be viable in the United States if a program was established by the government either for housing for those in extreme poverty or those in need of relief after a major disaster. These homes can provide much better shelters than those currently provided by disaster relief effort teams.”

As 3D printing technology stands today, Hammond sees its benefits as best suited to humanitarian projects where construction managers are not worrying about business goals or making a dollar.

“3D printed homes as they are currently made are not suitable for the United States residential construction industry but in time they can be a force on the industry changing the way homes are built,” concludes Hammond.

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: CalPoly]