The first 3D concrete printing plant in Europe has been opened in Eindhoven. Bam Infra and Weber Beamix have joined forces to open the printing facility.
Four bicycle bridges are already in the queue for the province of Noord Holland. And the five printed houses of the Milestone project will soon be rolling off the printer as well.
Printing concrete is a technique that is still relatively in its infancy. Yet it is already good enough to put into practice commercially. ‘The bicycle bridge that we have 3D printed in Germert was proof of principle, we have shown that it works, that this is possible’, says Bas Huysmans of Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix. Good enough at least for the province of Noord Holland, which ordered four bicycle bridges. ‘We believe in this technique’, says area manager Barry Hol of that province, ‘at some point you also have to break through the chicken-egg problem.’ If clients keep waiting for a working factory to be there, it never will be, he means by that.
At the same time, we are working hard on new innovations in the field of concrete printing. For this purpose, cooperation with the TU/e is being carried out. New inventions can immediately be put into practice here. And at the same time, the lessons learned in practice should stimulate research and give direction.
Source: Studio040
