3d Concrete Printing

[Edie Staniszewski]

Inaddition to our 3DCP products and technical support, Sika has a wide range of colorings, coatings, protections, sealants, bonding, adhesives, strengthening, anchoring and much more to add value to your product proposition.

Sika has developed a multi-component system for 3D concrete printing including material supply, mixing technology, print head, gantry system, and software control. Furthermore, Sika develops a one-component material for customers already using a 3D printing system. This needs a close collaboration between the customer and Sika in order to supply the right material for the printing solution. With this system approach a material can be developed which leads to prints with the highest possible quality and accurate set times.

A competitive advantage that sets us apart is that Sika is a chemical company and we focused on our material first and then went to an robotic integrator that matched our specs for our material to create our 2K system. We believe with our tremendous progress over the past few years has alone already set us apart from fully integrated 3D companies. It all comes down to your material when having a successful print and being a material company we strive in that area. We do have the printer, material, and software and have many innovations coming in the near future that puts us in the same market as fully integrated 3D printing companies.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to 3D Concrete Printing. This technology allows designers to create custom objects not feasible with traditional casting methods. They can be smaller components like detailed architectural furniture, extending up to large-scale, fully-printed buildings or civil infrastructure. Digitalization is the driver of this innovation with the aim to improve productivity and save time in the process, while offering something that can help you stand out above the rest in the market.

Sika has worldwide production factories. Where possible, we would like to produce locally to reduce transportation costs and time. If you would like to use local concrete to 3D print, Sika can also assist with pre-testing the concrete using Sika admixtures.

Costs associated with 3D concrete printing are best discussed with equipment suppliers. The cost of traditional construction methods very much depends on the costs of materials and labor in your geographical area. A local contractor can possibly assist you to make the comparison.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to 3D concrete printing. It allows you to create custom objects not feasible with traditional concrete casting methods. They can be smaller components like architectural furniture, or large-scale, fully-printed buildings and civil infrastructure. Sika has experience with all types.

Sika offers comprehensive Sikacrete 3D solutions for printing concrete rapidly, precisely, and inexpensively according to your project needs. With a global footprint in over 100 countries and more than 100 years of history in cement and admixture technology, Sika can support you around the world to start or improve your 3D concrete printing business. In addition to 3DCP products and technical support, we have a wide range of solutions to add value to your entire project.

Sikacrete-7100 3D consists of a cementitious powder with fibers and liquid polymer which is combined with water in the mixing station. Additional colors can be added to enhance the appearance. An activator is added in the print head which provides setting on demand.

Sika provides cementitious materials for printing objects with your equipment. There are numerous types of mixers, pumps, and robotics on the market. To achieve a successful print, the equipment and material must work together. All these factors play a significant role in achieving optimal results of the finished concrete. Sika works with our partners to evaluate the print quality and find ways to improve it.

Sika has a range of compatible products to enhance and improve your entire 3D concrete printing project including concrete admixtures, filling, grouting, leveling, protection, sealing, bonding, strengthening and fixing.

Costs associated with 3D concrete printing are best discussed with equipment suppliers. The cost of traditional construction methods very much depends on the costs of materials and labor in your geographical area. A local contractor can possibly assist you to make the comparison.

Sika has worldwide production factories. Where possible, we would like to produce locally to reduce transportation costs and time. If you would like to use local concrete to 3D print, Sika can also assist with pre-testing the concrete using Sika admixtures.

The first cost savings will be the elimination of 3 men, string lines, and marking paint. Simply add the airless attachment to the nozzle of the printer, and your entire layout for footing is done in minutes. Push the printer out of the way and start digging.

The layout and forming for footings and stem walls are very time-consuming. It takes a lot of lumber, diesel, stakes, and labor that is no longer necessary. Simply level the area, compact them, level the four corners of your printer, and PRINT.

The slab layout and forming is critical to all other subs on the job. If a mistake is made at this point of the project, nothing else is square, and all other subs suffer. With the Concrete Printers, the house is square every time.

No warped studs, better fire rating, no mildew. No matter how you look at it, printing a home is far better than framing a home. Concrete printing is faster, more accurate, just better all around.

This is not necessary as walls can be printed that are hollow. Depending on the mix that is used, there is also no need for rebar or solid pour exterior and bearing walls. We know the idea of exterior walls and bearing walls without rebar seems ridiculous, but it's time to learn something new. Look up 20,000 PSI concrete and geopolymer. It's real.

Some print finishes may not need to be finished if acceptable to the customer. Taping takes days for each coat to dry. This is not the case with mason finishing. Within 3 hours of the walls being printed, the walls are already finished.

You can have any R Factor you want depending on the density and material. A solid concrete wall has an R9 Value. If you print a hollow wall and back fill with fiberglass, polystyrene or cellulose, you can achieve any R value you desire.

Additionally, house plans can be modified to allow for dome roofing, which can also eliminate trussing and sheeting costs. The truss system utilizes the same printer, but with the use of a different mixer/pumping system. As new advances become available, they will be bolt-on solutions with your existing printer.

More and more customers are starting to experiment with additional uses. Underground is definitely something worth considering. The cost is high for underground but can be significantly reduced by printing on site.

By now, you may be realizing how significantly concrete printing is about to change so many industries. Pool and spa is just another market that will benefit. The cost for traditional pool construction is about to change. Homes can be sold with included water features at a fractional cost.

Very seldom do we see breathtaking signage. Everyone is looking for ways to stand out, but it keeps getting back to budgets. Imagine the development entries that are possible now. These printers like to print and with everything they can do, it would be foolish to have any down time.

The best way to wrap your head around concrete printing is to start with the basics, and there is no better way than to liken 3D Concrete Printing, or 3DCP, to Insulated Concrete Block construction. ICF code is accepted everywhere yet a foam block has virtually no structural strength at all. So when you are considering how you would pass code, keep ICF in mind. For the most part, a concrete printer is doing nothing more than printing a hollow wall shell that can be filled with rebar and concrete. The only difference is foam has no strength at all, compared to what we print in most cases, which is twice the strength of cinderblock.

The advantage of concrete printing is the ability to print hollow walls which reduced costs for electrical, plumbing and insulation. Additionally, hollow walls can be insulated to almost an R factor with ease with the absence obstructive studs.

We have developed and tested a myriad of different mixes with different characteristics, such as PSI, tensile strength, water impenetrability, fire resistance, as well as cold weather mixes, hot weather mixes, accelerated mixes, and retarded mixes. We provide the formulas and the lab results that your engineer will need to determine what the wall designs will be. Once they have the testing results, they can design a wall that exceeds any code anywhere.

Some choose to stay close to traditional methods by printing walls that resemble ICF and CMU, but others, who have more confidence, take it all the way by utilizing stronger mixes, so that they can capitalize on ALL the cost-saving benefits.

From the onset, our engineers understood the importance of creating a design that had all the same features but was also easily understood. A printer that is lightweight and easily assembled in the field. MudBots printers weigh 75% less than any printers in the industry, with an assembly time that is 80% faster. This is a printer that does it all, does it faster, and is half the price of anyone.

If you think your printer cartridges are expensive, wait until you have to buy and ship proprietary concrete mixes from halfway around the world or even the USA. MudBots is the only ones that provide the mix formulas for your printer and allow you to use any mix without voiding your warranty. This should be a deal breaker for everyone as they begin to realize what they will be paying for are mixes that are (mostly) available at their local hardware store, not to mention the cost of and any delay in shipping.

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