CHENNAI: The construction sector, now labour intensive, may undergo a sea change with the adoption of 3D printing. Engineering giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) recently constructed a ground-plus-three-floor building (1,700 sq ft) in a mere 106 hours using this technology in a bid to attract developers in the city.
The fully-automated construction method uses a robotic printer to print/deposit layers of concrete without any formwork to construct a building according to a 3D model drawing.While the cost may remain the same, there will be advantages in time and resources. “Any building takes around 100 days to get completed. Using this technology, we can finish it in 30 days,” says MV Satish, Whole Time Director and Senior Executive vice president (Buildings), L&T.
The technology has been approved by the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) while the design has been cleared by IIT Madras. But, clearance is only for ground-plus-three-floors as of now. Now, the work is on to finalise an Indian Standard (IS) code so that some standards are in place for adopting the technology widely. The codes are used for civil engineers in India for design and analysis of civil engineering structures such as buildings, dams, roads, railways, and airports.
L&T believes the new construction method is better than traditional ones. It can provide sound and thermal insulation which traditional buildings usually lack. It could also be used for troops stationed in extreme climates. “We can use the technology to build barracks for soldiers in places like Leh, schools, post offices, etc., across the country,” Satish said.
Through a mock-up flat in Ramapuram, L&T is wooing developers across Chennai who are keen on building villas (ground plus 1 or ground plus 2). “Some people have expressed interest and we are confident of getting orders,” Satish said.
The success of 3D printing lies in the knowledge and control of 3Ms — material, machine, and methods — for successful large-scale and quick construction. In addition, 3D concrete printing must overcome the challenge of printing in an open-to-sky environment by controlling variables like ambient temperature, moisture, humidity, dust and the like that can affect the properties of the concrete. The machines, which are imported from The Netherlands, are costly. Satish hopes prices will fall as the technology gains acceptance.