Ultra-LightCon-3D · Ultra-Lightweight Concrete for 3D printing technologies

Ultra-Lightweight Concrete for 3D printing technologies

The construction industry does not follow the same enlightened path as other fields of science and has thus suffered a technology bypass, relying on centuries-old processes and procedures to manage complex modern projects. In conventional concrete construction projects, more than 60% of the total cost is spent on formwork and labor. One form of technology which could revolutionize our perception and approach to construction, is 3D printing of concrete. 3D printing, also referred to as Additive Manufacturing (AM), is a technology which builds solid parts via a layer-by-layer process. According to the European Parliament resolution on 3D printing, AM is viewed as “one of the most prominent technologies, with regard to which Europe can play a leading role”. EU places the development of AM for construction, in the top 10 future application areas. Ultra-LightCon-3D was a joint academic/industrial training initiative supporting the convergence of additive manufacturing, concrete technology and engineering. The main goal was to develop a new generation of concrete insulating material towards production of a 3D printable energy saving construction, in accordance with the EU Energy Efficiency Strategy and EU’s Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan, which puts emphasis on decreasing building envelope costs and energy consumption in residential buildings. Moreover, as a part of the training a set of activities towards improving the scientific, innovative and entrepreneurial skills of the Fellow were planned. The overall objective of the proposal was to develop an ultra-lightweight concrete (ULWC) technology for 3D-printed walls, with ultra-high insulating properties. The goal of this investigation, was to establish a fundamental scientific understanding of the relations between design, material, process and the final product. As an outcome methodology towards development of insulating printable wall systems meeting the EU requirements was proposed. To achieve this goal an interdisciplinary methodology based on experimental and numerical methods in micro- and macro-scale technology was proposed. In the final stage the insulating printable wall system was proposed.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union