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Construction 3D Printing: What An Incredible Technology

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Do you know we can construct houses without laborers? Yes, here 3D printing in construction refers to the computer-controlled sequential layering up of the concrete material to create the shape of a house in 3D.

We all know the construction houses using the concrete cement bricks pillars for support etc. For the construction of such houses using these above-mentioned materials require many mesons to work together this leads to the increase of labor cost material cost which makes the overall construction expensive bet.

So why not find out an alternative for this? Is there any such alternative that can reduce the cost of the construction? is there any alternative that can replace the workers required to build a house? so that it will reduce our overall cost of building the house! Yes, there is an alternative for this and that is 3D printing of houses! We all know that 3D printing is used to create the objects in 3 dimensions and it is heavily used in manufacturing industries but surprisingly the research is evolving in 3D printing in such a way that it’s being used intensively in other fields too.

Therefore, in this blog we will know more about 3D printing in construction field.

What’s in it for me?

  1. Introduction
  2. Construction industry
  3. 3D concrete printer
  4. 3D printing process in construction
  5. Advantages of 3D printing in construction
  6. Criticism
  7. conclusion
  8. FAQs

Introduction:

Certainly, 3D printing in construction refers to the computer-controlled sequential layering up of the concrete material to create the shape of a house in 3D.

Above all, this technology of 3D printing first came into existence in the year 1980s. But during that time it was so expensive that it had only limited applications and only a few very large industries had access to such kind of additive manufacturing capabilities.

It is only since 2000 that it has become relatively straightforward and affordable and so has become viable for a wide range of uses. But, now it has become such a cheap manufacturing technique that in countries like India it’s being used mainly by the MSMEs. Earlier architects used to use this technology to print the 3D model of their designs to show their clients in advance how their building would look after construction. Now research has developed so well that the engineers can construct the houses using this technology.

 For instance, a 3D design of the item is created, either by computer-aided design (CAD) or using a 3D scanner. The printer then reads the design and lays down successive layers of printing medium (this can be a liquid, powder, or sheet metal) which are joined or fused to create the item. This is a slower process, but it enables us to create almost any shape.

Materials such as metals are expensive to print. But here printing a house with concrete material using a mold turns out to be very cost-efficient.

Construction Industry:

Moreover, in the construction industry 3D printing is used to print the construction materials. But sometimes it’s even being used to print the entire house itself isn’t it amazing? Above all, the Construction sector best suits 3D printing technology. The recent evolution of BIM in the architectural and construction field will support this technology to grow furthermore.

However, construction 3D printing allows us to work fast and accurately with very complex designs and parts. It also helps us in conducting constructions in the areas where human laborers cant go there to conduct construction work such as in space. This also helps us in reducing the construction cost as there is no need for laborers to conduct the construction work.

3D Concrete Printer:

Certainly, we all know how PLA, SLA, and metal printing takes place the filament goes on adding up layer by layer to complete the model or apart. So concrete printing is also not so different from this type of printing. Similarly, in concrete printing also the material is added up layer by layer. Meanwhile, the University of California has been experimenting in concrete based 3D printing to produce small-scale prototype models of the external and internal walls of houses. 

However, the research carried out under Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis is now testing a giant transportable 3D printer that could be used to build the walls of an entire house in just 24 hours. Certainly, consistency, accuracy, and speed could lead to the replacement of a large element of labor-intensive work.

Above all, this system requires a robotic arm kind of system, and this system is placed on flat ground. Rails are being set up on either side of the footprints. On which this robotic arms can move. Now everything here is computer-controlled upon giving the command to the robotic arms they will start extruding the concrete filament layer by layer as in conventional 3D printing to construct the walls.

BIM enthusiast will be watching out for such a development as this will help them to increase their productivity.

3D Printing Process In Construction:

Robotic Arm Extrusion:

Moreover, in this process of constructing houses with the help of a 3D printer is not as similar to that of printing in the manufacturing field.

Here a robotic extrusion arm is used for carrying out the printing process so for these robots to move a rail is set up around the site so that the robotic arms can move on them. However, these arms move to a particular area and start building up by putting the material layer by layer.

Certainly, Trowels placed on the side and above the nozzle to flatten the extruded layers and ensure the model’s strength. In this process, conventional concrete cannot be used as it would need to harden before you could continue the process. But, if it was 3D printed it, wouldn’t be able to support its own weight. Therefore, concrete is used with quick setting properties.

Sand Layers Inked Together:

The machine here relies on the binding of powder which makes it possible to solidify a layer of material when used with a binder and the layers of sand are deposited according to the desired thickness before a print head pours droplets (the binder) to harden the sand. Certainly, this 5 x 5-metre machine can create large structures of up to 7 cubic metres in size.

Advantages Of 3D Printing In Construction:

As we know that 3D printing is a very cost-effective kind of additive manufacturing process it saves the overall cost of constructing a house. Certainly, by using this technology its being able to create even the skyscrapers and long bridges with less budget. In countries like India, there are various schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas yojana where the government builds houses for poor so there the government can make use of such technologies so that the houses can be built for the poor as well as the government can save its budget too.

Criticism In Construction 3D Printing:

Clearly all of these projects have enormous potential. But there are several questions being raised about the employment of the laborers and how this 3D printing using concrete will cope up with the rest of the building materials. But in the long term, they should produce better, faster, and perhaps lower cost buildings.

Certainly, all of these innovations require complex equipment, and whilst it is possible to envisage using some simplified version to manufacture specialist components on a more industrial scale, it is questionable whether this will replace bricks and mortar.

So this is all about 3D printing in the construction field its application, it’s benefits as well as its critics and what all innovations are taking place in the field of 3D printing and construction. In the upcoming blogs, we will look at some more parts of 3D printing about various filaments used in the 3D printer and few more applications of the printer.

Conclusion:

Here in this blog, we came across what is construction 3d printing how architects and engineers are making use of this technology, how advance this construction sector is growing and advancing in technology. Here in this article you just came across a brief idea about the 3d printing. If you want to know more about 3d printing, materials used, and how metal manufacturing industries are using it then do check out the other blogs from the links given.

FAQs:

1.What is construction 3D printing?

Here 3D printing in construction refers to the computer controlled sequential layering up of the concrete material to create the shape of a house in 3D

2.What is 3D printed house made of?

Here the concrete filament is used to construct a house

3.Can you 3D print a building?

Yes we can 3D print a building using concrete filament

4.How much does it cost to 3D print a house?

It cost somewhere around Rs. 7,00,000/- for an affordable house.

5.Are 3D printed house safe?

Yes they are absolutely safe.

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