Researchers at IIT Guwahati have created 3D printing technique for creating urban furniture. The use of concrete in construction is reduced by 75% as a result of this. The technology is projected to reduce the amount of carbon utilised in building, resulting in a worldwide benefit.
A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) has created 3D printed urban furniture built from local industrial trash. In the building and construction industries, concrete 3D printing is gaining traction.
Recent advancements in this subject, such as 3D printed modular houses, pedestrian footbridges, office buildings, public schools, and low-cost toilet units, have the potential to shift the construction industry’s paradigm.
The IIT-G study team created 3D printed furniture with a
seating height of 0.4 m, a width of 0.4 m, and an arch-shaped support using a
specifically formulated printable concrete containing industrial wastes as
binders, which was sculpted and sliced using SolidWorks and Simplify3D,
respectively.
Each layer had a 10 mm height, and the complete unit was
printed layer by layer at an 80 mm/s pace. Before being used, the unit was
covered in wet gunny bags for 7 days to cure after printing.
These constructions were traditionally mould casted, which
necessitated additional concrete, labour, and formwork preparation. 3D concrete
printing, on the other hand, allows for optimised designs to be created with 75%
less concrete and without the use of a mould.
“In our lab scale 3D printer, we demonstrated how
material-efficient structures can be created. Our goal is to create
high-performance concrete mixes from industrial waste for printing such
intricate structures “In a statement, Dr. Biranchi Panda of the Department
of Mechanical Engineering remarked.
The researchers are
now looking at underwater concrete printing and the prospect of manufacturing
functional reinforced concrete with low-carbon components. Prof. T. G.
Sitharam, Director, IIT-G, stated, “3D printing of concrete can be a
technical option for lowering carbon footprint in the building and construction
business.”
“A techno-economic analysis must be conducted in the
Indian context that takes into account not only environmental sustainability
but also cost, quality, labour, and maintenance issues related with 3D
printing,” Sitharam noted.
On-demand, on-site 3D concrete printing, according to the
research team, will undoubtedly have a global impact on a wide range of
construction applications and multibillion-dollar sectors.
Design, automation,
service, and maintenance of digital systems will be the focus of future jobs. Courtesy:
www.timesnownews.com
