The 9-axis architectural 3D printer

Company: Twente Additive Manufacturing

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Project Description:

Twente’s goal in its debut year was to develop a concrete 3D printer placed on a gantry-like structure capable of traveling 10 meters wide and 5 meters high. A typical 6-axis ABB robot fixed in place has a printing footprint of 42m³. With the addition of elevation and translation, an 8-axis robot is capable of printing 181m³. Finally, a 9th rotational axis brings the machine’s printing footprint to 391m³. The extensive reach of the concrete printer coupled with its advanced articulation enables elaborate shapes and artistic structures that would otherwise be impossible with conventional formwork. Parametric CAD/CAM software is directly linked to the machine, with the shapes being guided by algorithms.