Step by step the list of materials that can be used by 3-D printing has grown to include not just plastics but also metal, glass, and even food. Now, MIT researchers are expanding the list further, with the design of a system that can 3-D print the basic structure of an entire building.
The system consists of a tracked vehicle that carries a large, industrial robotic arm, which has a smaller, precision-motion robotic arm at its end. This highly controllable arm can then be used to direct any conventional (or unconventional) construction nozzle, such as those used for pouring concrete or spraying insulation material, as well as additional digital fabrication end effectors, such as a milling head.
The system is different than other large 3-D printers in that it's free-moving and doesn't require an enclosed, fixed structure. To test it out, researchers built a 12 ft. high dome out of foam insulation in less than 14 hours. The foam could then serve as a mold for concrete, like with traditional insulated-concrete formwork techniques.
Check out the video below to see the machine in action.-
Structures built with this system could be produced faster and less expensively than traditional construction methods allow, the researchers say. A building could also be completely customized to the needs of a particular site and the desires of its maker. Even the internal structure could be modified in new ways; different materials could be incorporated as the process goes along, and material density could be varied to provide optimum combinations of strength, insulation, or other properties.
Ultimately, the researchers say, this approach could enable the design and construction of new kinds of buildings that would not be feasible with traditional building methods.
The robotic system is described on the journal Science Robotics, in a paper by Steven Keating PhD ’16, a mechanical engineering graduate and former research affiliate in the Mediated Matter group at the MIT Media Lab; Julian Leland and Levi Cai, both research assistants in the Mediated Matter group; and Neri Oxman, group director and associate professor of media arts and sciences.The system consists of a tracked vehicle that carries a large, industrial robotic arm, which has a smaller, precision-motion robotic arm at its end. This highly controllable arm can then be used to direct any conventional (or unconventional) construction nozzle, such as those used for pouring concrete or spraying insulation material, as well as additional digital fabrication end effectors, such as a milling head.
The system is different than other large 3-D printers in that it's free-moving and doesn't require an enclosed, fixed structure. To test it out, researchers built a 12 ft. high dome out of foam insulation in less than 14 hours. The foam could then serve as a mold for concrete, like with traditional insulated-concrete formwork techniques.
“To me it’s not merely a printer,” states Neri Oxman, the group director of the project, “but an entirely new way of thinking about making, that facilitates a paradigm shift in the area of digital fabrication, but also for architectural design… Our system points to a future vision of digital construction that enables new possibilities on our planet and beyond.”
Check out the video below to see the machine in action.-
