L&T Construction, the construction wing of Larsen & Toubro, has 3D printed a ground plus one floor 700 sq.ft house with reinforcement in India.
Said to be the first 3D printed ground plus one-floor building in the country, the house was developed with special, in-house developed concrete mix and indigenously available regular construction materials.
It was printed with both vertical reinforcement bar and horizontal distributors using a welded mesh that comply with the provisions of the Indian Codes and minimise the cost of construction.
The company noted that this achievement will give a huge fillip to the mass housing segment in India, which looks to deliver 60 million houses under the Housing for All by 2022 programme.
Barring the horizontal slab members, the whole building structure was 3D printed ‘Cast in Situ’ at L&T’s its Kanchipuram facility using a fully automated 3D printer.
It was developed in an ‘open to sky’ environment within 106 printing hours.
Buildings senior executive vice-president and whole-time director MV Satish said: “3D concrete printing is one of the technology disruptors with the potential to radically redefine construction methodologies and I am extremely happy that by demonstrating our growing expertise in 3D printing, we are well-positioned to push the boundaries of automated robotic construction.”
Satish added: “3D printing will not only accelerate the pace of construction but also significantly improve build quality.”
In 3D printing process, the material is printed under computer control to create a three-dimensional product, typically layer by layer.
3D printing with concrete is still largely work in progress around the world.
Last year, the Middle East’s first large-scale concrete additive manufacturing unit was inaugurated in Dubai.
The facility incorporated a new robot system that allows complex concrete shapes up to 4.5 metres in height and 6 metres in length to be 3D printed layer by layer.