3d Printed Concrete on Sites Within 18 Months

• 31 December 2015
• Local News
• 759 Views

Skanska, a world-leading construction group from Sweden, has signed a collaboration agreement with Loughborough University in the UK to accelerate the development of 3D printing in construction.

The agreement will allow Skanska to use the university’s version of the printing technology on live projects. A team at Loughborough has pioneered the use of concrete printers composed of a gantry and a robotic arm and Skanska aims to be able to use printed concrete products on sites within 18 months.

The printer works by laying down thin layers of concrete until an entire object is created. In this way, it can make things that cannot be manufactured by conventional processes, such as complex structural components and curved cladding panels.

Richard Buswell, a senior lecturer at the Building Energy Research Group at Loughborough University, said: “The modern construction industry is becoming more and more demanding in terms of design and construction”.