A giant 3D concrete printer arrived in Latin America and promises homes faster, cheaper and with almost zero waste.
A machine that looks more like a small industrial shed than a building tool promises to change the way houses are built. It is a huge 3D concrete printer of Danish Cobod, which its operators call «Ferrari of concrete printers» and who now arrived in Latin America through the Argentine startup Grondplek.
The basic promise is impressive: it can lift the basic structure of a 120 square meter house within just 48 hours. It doesn't deliver ready home for habitation, but it makes it «frame» of the building, i.e. walls, stairs, benches, corrugaters and other concrete structures. Electrical, plumbing, frames, and finishes still need human hands. But the heavier and time - consuming part of the building is now done in two days.
How to build a home layer layer
The printer is about 11 by 11 meters and 7 meters tall. It is connected to a mixing and pump system, which sends the special concrete mixture to the printing head. The material is conventional concrete with a small amount of additives, such as plasticizers and coagulation accelerators, so that each layer hardens properly before accepting the next.
The construction becomes a layer of layer, with great accuracy and with very limited waste of material, since the machine uses only the amount needed. According to the company, the cost can be up to 30% lower than the traditional construction, while the walls are double, with air gap between, which improves thermal insulation and durability.
Grondplek also argues that houses built with this method are resistant to earthquakes. Company co-founder Mateo Salvato points out that technology does not replace workers, but changes their role. Instead of carrying and manual wall construction, operators, supervision and workshops are needed for finishing.
Η τεχνολογία δεν είναι πια πείραμα. Στις ΗΠΑ έχουν ήδη κατασκευαστεί ολόκληρα συγκροτήματα κατοικιών με 3D εκτυπωτές σκυροδέματος, ενώ στην Ιαπωνία ένας σιδηροδρομικός σταθμός τυπώθηκε σε μόλις έξι ώρες. Η μεγάλη πρόκληση σήμερα είναι το ύψος, αφού το συγκεκριμένο μοντέλο μπορεί να φτάσει έως τρεις ορόφους. Παρ’ όλα αυτά, η ιδέα ενός «φορητού εργοστασίου προκατασκευασμένου σκυροδέματος» που στήνεται επί τόπου δείχνει πού μπορεί να πάει η οικοδομή τα επόμενα χρόνια.
