Sonam Rana updated Content Curator updated
Content Curator updated
Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Guwahati researchers have developed a 3D printer using Czechconstruction material made from local industrial wastes.
Researchers, Dhrutiman Dey, Dodda Srinivas and Bhavesh Chaudhari from the sustainable resources for additive manufacturing (SReAM) at IIT Guwahati along with Deltasys E-Forming developed new cementitious mix compositions, amenable for 3D printing.
According to the IIT Guwahati statement, the concrete printer is capable of printing components up to 1 m long, 1 m wide and 1 m tall. The researchers used specially-developed printable concrete containing industrial wastes as binders to build 3D printed furniture with a seating height of 0.4 m, a width of 0.4 m, and arch-shaped support.
The complete cycle for 3D-printed urban furniture took about 20 minutes to complete. The entire unit of the 3D printer was printed layer by layer at an 80 mm per second speed, with each layer having a 10 mm height.
The statement revealed that after the unit was printed, it was covered with moist gunny bags for seven days to cure before being used. Traditionally, these structures were mould cast which required more concrete material, labour, and formwork preparation.
However, with 3D concrete printing, the optimised designs were printed with 75% less concrete and without the need of mould, the statement said.
Concrete 3D printing is gaining momentum in the building and construction industries. Recent developments in this field such as 3D printed modular houses, pedestrian footbridges, office buildings, public schools, low-cost toilet units have the potential to initiate a paradigm change in the practice of construction.
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Speaking about the 3D printer, IIT Guwahati director, TG Sitharam said that the 3D printing of concrete can be a technological solution for reducing carbon footprint in the construction industry.
A techno-economic analysis should be carried out considering the environmental sustainability and the aspects relating to cost, quality, labor, and maintenance associated with 3D printing, he said.
Professor Biranchi Panda of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, said that the main objective is to design high-performance concrete mixes made from industrial wastes for printing complex structures.
He said that the institute has highlighted how material-efficient structures can be produced in the institute's lab scale 3D printer.
At present, the IIT Guwahati researchers are exploring underwater concrete printing and the possibility of printing functional reinforced concrete using low carbon materials.
Developments related to process automation, advanced print head design are the ongoing project in the PI team, funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India.
The research team also believes that the on-demand, on-site 3D concrete printing will have a significant global impact on versatile construction applications and multi-billion-dollar markets worldwide. The future jobs will be marshalled into design, automation, servicing, and maintenance of the digital systems.
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