Why 3D concrete Printing?
The implementation of 3D concrete printing (3DCP) technology offers high accuracy, improved efficiency, reduced labor costs, less waste, and greater production speed. Unlike traditional precast concrete solutions with their fixed geometries from molds, 3DCP does not constrain the development of more innovative solutions—it encourages it.
As an example, concrete (gray) solutions historically used to protect coastal communities and military bases against high-intensity storms and flooding typically do not provide a hospitable environment for biodiversity and have long lead times, high transportation costs, and more. We recognized there had to be a better approach, and that the next-generation of coastal protection systems must show superior ecological and engineering performance. This is an urgent need.
PrintCast™—Unique geometries
that break the mold.
Your company or agency needs a way to create unique geometries (sizes and shapes) of concrete components with the latest high-tech approaches, solve the logistical challenges of storage and transportation, and be able to scale quickly and set up facilities closer to sites. You may also be looking for a range of options from off-the-shelf products to custom solutions that enable prototyping one day, modifying the next, testing, and repeating.
While 3D printed concrete may not completely replace traditional cast-in-place and precast concrete, we see our PrintCast 3DCP as an important high-tech tool for infrastructure development.
The advantages of such solutions include increased wave energy mitigation and dissipation. By using structures that reduce wave height and energy, you can dissipate the kinetic energy of incoming waves—and provide superior ecological performance by tuning the proposed designs to the local environmental conditions and rapid prototyping. Through our cutting-edge 3D concrete printing technology, we are paving the way for stronger, more resilient, and sustainable coastal defense structures. Traditional casting with fixed, pre-set molds is not feasible for these complex solutions.
Advantages of 1Print’s PrintCast
1Print’s 3DCP products offer numerous advantages over precast. Not only do we offer complex shapes and sizes, faster product development, less expensive deployment, and a quick path to mass scale, but all our all products are designed for optimal sustainability and resiliency.
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- Design Flexibility and Freedom
Today’s projects require diverse shapes and sizes to meet their needs. Unlike precast, which offers limited design options and the inability to make changes after mold production, 3DCP offers the ultimate in flexibility. With 1Print’s PrintCast, customers have the freedom to innovate and create solutions never-before-possible and changes can be quickly made to the design files—enabling fast prototyping, easy modification, and revision/testing–often resulting in material saving designs. - Simplified, Cost-effective Logistics
Because precast production generally occurs off-site, often at great distances from a project, project teams see associated transportation and storage costs, along with negative impacts on their schedule. With mobile 3DCP from 1Print, our machines can be brought onsite if needed, saving on bulk material transport and storage.
- Waste Reduction
Because 3D concrete printing is an additive manufacturing technique, it only uses as much material as is required to create the structure. “If you need 8 cubic yards, you deliver 8 cubic yards”. This results in reduced waste, cost savings, and improved sustainability. - Eco-friendly Designs
Infrastructure surface textures greatly affect the environmental outcomes. Precast solutions have limited flexibility in surface textures. 3DCP, on the other hand, is known for its resilient Nature-Based approach. Our solutions offer macro-scale complexity and surface texture capabilities to enhance habitat potential for marine life. - Operational Agility
Conventional precast solutions require huge factory investments, warehouses, and molds—often resulting in low production volume and low production speed when compared to 3DCP. With 3DCP, the parts and components can often quickly be made onsite, resulting in fast, scalable production–shortening construction schedules.