3D Printing Completed on 3D Printhuset’s Building On Demand

IMTS

Share this Article

3D Printhuset works fast – or it may be more accurate to say the company’s 3D printers work fast. In early September, 3D Printhuset began construction on what would be the first 3D printed building in Europe to meet European building codes, hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony shortly thereafter. The Building On Demand, or BOD, would be a small office hotel 3D printed by 3D Printhuset’s self-developed concrete 3D printers. The BOD was designed by architect Ana Goidea, who incorporated curved walls and a ripple effect to better illustrate the design freedom that 3D printing allows.

Now 3D Printhuset has announced that 3D printing on the BOD is complete. Although the building was completed quickly in comparison to a traditional construction project, there were a few snags that kept it from being finished as soon as 3D Printhuset wanted – they were hoping for only a few weeks.

“Realizing the delay we have had, perhaps we were too optimistic with our planning,” said Henrik Lund-Nielsen, CEO at 3D Printhuset. “However, it is very difficult to plan for problems that you have never tried before. This was the first time anybody applied this technology in Europe. Therefore it would also have been somewhat surprising, had it turned out that we had become world champions at it the first time we tried it. That said, we did manage to do what we set out to do and to make this demonstration project showing the usability of the technology. We are very proud that we managed that.”

The problems weren’t related to the 3D printing process itself, but rather happened in other areas, which required that the 3D printing be put on hold.

“The 3D printing went as we planned,” said Jakob Jørgensen, CTO of 3D Printhuset. “Not counting the hours and days where the printer was standing still awaiting other problems to be solved, it only took the planned 50 hours to do the printing of the walls, but we had severe difficulties with the whole material handling prior to printing which delayed us. We were hit both by faulty material deliveries as well as equipment failures related to the material handling.”

The BOD is 3D printed from a special eco-friendly concrete made of recycled tiles and sand, developed in partnership with Force Institute. The entire building has been designed to be as green as possible, with recycled insulation and minimal waste generated thanks to the use of 3D printing.

On November 30, 3D Printhuset will hold a conference to discuss in detail its experience on the project, what went wrong and what went right. Leading construction companies from around the world will be present; in fact, it’s the largest 3D printing construction conference ever to be held, with 240 attendees and 15 speakers. Those attendees include Behrokh Khoshnevis, creator of Contour Crafting, as well as representatives from companies like Winsun, Cazza Construction, Apis Cor, CyBe Construction, Xtreee and more. Those attending the conference will have a chance to visit the BOD.

“We were planning to be complete with the whole building and all installations on November 30, but that is no longer realistic,” said Lund-Nielsen. “However, we have actually progressed so much that the attendees will be able to inspect the result of the application of the 3D printing technology, and then it matters less that the building has not been painted, is still missing a kitchen, toilet and other sanitary installations. We welcome all and look forward to sharing our results of this demonstration project.”

The conference is free to attend. If you’re interested in going, you can sign up here.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

[Images provided by 3D Printhuset]

 

Share this Article


Recent News

Liquid Metal 3D Printing Sector Emerges with Fluent Metal’s $5.5M Investment

3DPOD Episode 191: Amy Alexander, 3D Printing at the Mayo Clinic



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

3DPOD Episode 190: Generative Design for 3D Printing with Novineer CEO Ali Tamijani

Ali Tamijani, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has an extensive background in composites, tool pathing, and the development of functional 3D printed parts,...

Featured

3DPOD Episode 189: AMUG President Shannon VanDeren

Shannon VanDeren is a consultant in the 3D printing industry, focusing on implementation and integration for her company, Layered Manufacturing and Consulting. For nearly ten years, she has been involved...

3DPOD Episode 188: Clare Difazio of E3D – Growing the Industry, and Growing With the Industry

Clare DiFazio’s journey into the 3D printing industry was serendipitous, yet her involvement at critical moments has significantly influenced the sector. Her position as Head of Marketing & Product Strategy...

Featured

Printing Money Episode 15: 3D Printing Markets & Deals, with AM Research and AMPOWER

Printing Money returns with Episode 15! This month, NewCap Partners‘ Danny Piper is joined by Scott Dunham, Executive Vice President of Research at Additive Manufacturing (AM) Research, and Matthias Schmidt-Lehr,...