UTILIZING LARGE SCALE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING MACHINES WITH BIO-FRIENDLY MEDIUMS TO MORE EFFECTIVELY FABRICATE STRUCTURESRobert Goldshear & Edward Skorpinski

Object

Oriented Design

• The design stage is comprised of all of the data preparation and modeling for the desired product.

• Depending on the product’s function, it must possess the appropriate dimensions, strength, weight, and durability. The creator of the product must determine these standards and design the part accordingly.

Material

Preparation

• Extrudability:• Defines how well the mixture travels through the

piping and is delivered through the nozzle.• Buildability

• Describes a mixture’s ability to bind to subsequently added layers while maintaining the strength to support its weight.

• The final mixture must maintain a balance between the two attributes, as both qualities are extremely important.

Printing and Productio

n

• The nozzle diameter determines the resolution of the printed product, so the speed of printing must then accommodate the desired resolution.

• Due to the layering nature of additive construction, concrete printing is not able to create a perfect reproduction of inclined or curved edges. Therefore the necessary resolution of the printed product depends on its required tolerance.

Technology Overview Additive manufacturing of buildings brings a new set of advantages to the field of construction. Industrial waste from demolished buildings and construction sites is damaging our environment, but with 3D-printing, we are able to recycle construction waste and turn it into new building materials by either melting down bio-plastic mediums or crushing sand and stone composites and reforming them into new pieces. Overall, this technology represents the future of construction. Its efficiency could transform the industry and greatly improve the world’s construction capabilities. The following comprehensive report, on the aforementioned technological advancement, will provide evidence to support its necessity for integration into today’s construction techniques. Various examples of recent developments in the field and in depth analysis of the technology will present a firm basis on the benefits of the use of rapid prototyping machines in the construction industry. Example of a concrete

printer in use during construction of a wall

segment

WinSun workers constructing a house using prefabricated

sections. The sections were made using a

concrete printer.

Necessity in IndustryThe annual current national construction expenditures in the United States approach $1 trillion, and while this may seem like a good sign in the previously hampered economy, the industry is being plagued by waste inefficiencies, labor issues, and creative regression in structural design

Researchers at Loughborough University developed a concrete mixture that possessed ideal extrudability for printing. Through experimentation, they then found the optimal amount of superplasticizer and retarder to add to the mixture. Superplasticizers improve the flow properties of concrete while retarders slow its setting time. Figure 1 shows how the strength of the concrete is affected by superplasticizer while Figure 2 shows how concrete’s strength is affected by retarders in addition to 1% superplasticiser mixture.

Figure 1 Figure 2

Currently in China, WinSun Decoration Design Engineering works to utilize the speed and efficiency of additive manufacturing in construction. Their method of construction involves assembling prefabricated sections of houses, each of which is about 2,100 square feet and is composed of a mixture of concrete and recycled rock. Up to ten houses can be printed and assembled in a single day using the company’s 3D printers and formulated quick-dry cement. The ability to build houses in such a fast manner will be very useful in the case of an event such as a natural disaster where building damage is extensive and recovery housing is necessary. Simple homes can be constructed for temporary shelter until permanent settlements are built. More importantly, the small homes are extremely cheap to build.

Research Data

Case Study:WinSun

Additional Benefits• Additive manufacturing processes are able to build

customized parts without the need for additional molds or tools.

• Aside from the printing mixture being used, mostly all of the additional cost comes from non-structural elements, such as plumbing and electric.

• Additive manufacturing has the ability to produce a wide range of possible architectural designs, opening the door for creativity and innovation.

• Digital designs can be easily transferred online, allowing for a rapid spread of ideas.

• 3D printing is becoming a way of increasing individualized production instead of reliance on another outside party for design or manufacture.