Context

L&T Construction, the construction arm of the $21 billion technology, engineering & construction conglomerate, Larsen & Toubro, has 3D printed a G+1 (Ground plus one) building with reinforcement for the first time in India.

About

• The 3D printed building has a built up area of 700 sq. feet and is located at L&T Construction's Kanchipuram facility.
• It has been built with a special, in-house developed concrete mix using indigenously available regular construction materials.
• The building was printed with both vertical reinforcement bars and horizontal distributors using welded mesh, that satisfy provisions in the Indian Codes and optimise the cost of construction.
• Barring the horizontal slab members, the entire building structure was 3D printed ‘Cast in Situ’ at the job site in an ‘open to sky’ environment within 106 printing hours, using a fully automated 3D printer.
  
  

What is 3D Printing?

• 3D printing is a process, in which the material is printed under computer control to build a 3-dimensional product, typically layer by layer.
• It is predominantly used in manufacturing industries to print rapid prototypes, complex shapes and small batch production using special polymers, metal alloys etc.
• 3D printing is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing which is cutting out / hollowing out a piece of metal or plastic with for instance a milling machine.
• 3D printing with concrete is still largely work in progress across the globe.

Significance of the new development

• With the country aggressively pursuing the objective of creating 60 million houses under the Housing for All by 2022 programme, this achievement will certainly give a huge fillip to the mass housing segment.
• 3D printing will not only accelerate the pace of construction, but also significantly improve build quality.