India’s largest construction company, L&T Construction, has printed a 65-sq-m, two-storey building from concrete with integral reinforcement.
Claimed to be India’s first, the structure near Chennai complies with Indian building codes.
L&T developed the printable concrete mix in house, based on locally available materials.
L&T senior executive vice president MV Satish said: "3D concrete printing is one of the technology disruptors with the potential to radically redefine construction methodologies and I am extremely happy that by demonstrating our growing expertise in 3D printing, we are well positioned to push the boundaries of automated robotic construction."
The printer was supplied by Danish manufacturer, Cobod, whose printers have been used for 3D printing firsts in Germany and Africa (see further reading).
Cobod said L&T’s use of conventional concrete was significant because to date most 3D printed buildings have been made with ready mix mortars, which have a maximum particle size of 4mm and are generally more expensive less strong than concrete. This can make structures printed with mortars fall foul of countries’ building codes, Cobod said.
"L&T Construction’s project marks a huge step forward for our industry, on a global scale," said Cobod founder Henrik Lund-Nielsen.
"Not only is the project showing that more and more conventional construction companies are adapting 3D printing, but the 3D printing of a real concrete made by L&T themselves is significant, as this helps to drive down the cost even further. It is really impressive how L&T developed the 3D printable concrete and applied integral horizontal and vertical reinforcement in the building."
Image: India’s first 3D printed, two-storey building in India, printed by L&T Construction near Chennai (Supplied by Cobod)
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