3BUILD Project
3BUILD – Design and development of a novel large scale 3D-printer for building concrete buildings and structures- is targeting the creation of a robotic set-up able to construct concrete buildings and infrastructures, with a high degree of process automation. Aiming to technology development in 3D-printing of concrete buildings and its exploitation by construction sector in a way that meets the high expectations of the international community, with benefits that far outweigh the existing construction techniques.
The speed and accuracy of construction is of major importance aiming at the construction of buildings up to 80m² within one day. Factors such as the handling, transportation and installation of the system are studied in an effort to optimize the manufacturing process.
The 3-D printing technology method has been proposed for the construction of building facilities since the 2000s, but it has not been able to gain a significant market share in the worldwide construction industry to date. Nevertheless, there is a strong interest from the scientific and industrial community for the applications of this technology, as shown in the October 2018 special edition of the journal Cement and Concrete Research that was dedicated to the current state of the art of 3-D printing as well as the difficulties, challenges and directions in which the research should be conducted.
3BUILD consists a collaborative effort of TITAN Cement S.A., SIKA Hellas S.A., COS Hellas LTD and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). The project started in the third quarter of 2018 and its scheduled duration is three years. The action is co-funded by the European Union and Greek national funds.
Funding
The 3BUILD Project is Co‐financed by the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, under the call RESEARCH – CREATE – INNOVATE.
