3D-PRINTING AND NANO-MATERIAL

The 3D contour crafting technology has demonstrated the possibility to build a house in just 20 hours. In 2004, Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis of University of South Carolina developed a FDM 3D printer, mounted on a robot arm that extrudes concrete layers instead of plastic to create a 3D model. Today, a variety of methods have been introduced at a construction scale like extrusion (concrete wax, foam, polymers), powder bonding (polymer bond, reactive bond, sitering) and additives welding. With the help of advanced 3D model developing software and accurate design information, this technology is evolving rapidly at all scales. From rapid prototyping, component manufacturing to full scale project printing (Courtesy of DUS Architects) and has exhibited all the qualities needed to use additives manufacturing on construction sites: reduce costs, wastes and accidents, low labor costs, increased accuracy, faster construction speed, complex architectural shape production and more (Courtesy of MX3D).

Metallic 3D printing

With the growing awareness of harm caused by Civil engineering projects to the environment, innovative ideas have been discussed. From incorporation of plastic wastes into roadways (Courtesy of PLASTICROADS), Carbondioxide injected into concrete mix that produced limestone Nanoparticles during the curing confinement process to increase the overall compressive strength of the material (Courtesy of CARBONCURE), self-healing concrete mixture of calcite precipitating bacterial that germinates to fill the gaps within the concrete cracks (Courtesy of TU DELFT), kinetic pavements that generate energy from pedestrian footsteps (Courtesy of PAVEGEN), 4D printed structures that have the ability to reshape depending on the exposed conditions (Courtesy of Self-Assembly/MIT/Autodesk) to Aerosol eating buildings that use Photo-Catalytic Titanium Dioxide to neutralize pollutants in the surrounding environment (Courtesy of Elegant Embellishments).