Be More 3D and Cemex 3D print bungalow in 12 hours

A bungalow at the Technical University of Valencia (UPV) is believed to be first 3D printed house in Spain. It was made by UPV spin-out company Be More 3D, and and is a stake in the ground for the company’s position in the burgeoning field of 3D printing for construction.

Reportedly 3D printed in around 12 hours, the single-storey cement structure undercuts much of the competition where time is concerned, and it has the support of a number of key collaborators with renowned experience in the industry.

The Be More 3D team and their patented cement 3D printer. Photo via Be More 3D

A patented 3D printing process

Be More 3D was founded in 2014 at UPV by Vicente Ramírez, J. Guillermo Muñoz, J. Luis Puchades and Joaquín Martín.

The technology the company uses is a material extrusion-type technique that takes reinforced cement as its primary feedstock. Cement is extruded in this process through the company’s patented 3D printer setup, which consists of a large nozzle spread between two gantry’s on wheels.

The basic structure of the 3D printer can be scaled for purpose, and Be More 3D’s recent bungalow measures 70 m².

According to Ramírez, CEO of the company, “This system reduces the costs of manufacturing houses by up to 35 percent,” in addition to time and labor costs. Additionally, Ramírez believes production time could now be accelerated to produce a bungalow in just 8 hours.

The team behind Spain’s first 3D printed house

The Spanish branch of Mexican multinational building materials company Cemex was one of the earliest supporters of the Be More 3D project. In this collaboration, Cemex provided the UPV affiliated Be More 3D with additive ingredients and both gray and white cement.

Infrastructure company ACCIONA, that contributed to the production of Spain’s first 3D printed bridge, also collaborated on the project demonstrating a marked interested in 3D printing for construction.

Other industrial collaborators include waterproofing and insulation specialist CHOVA; Automation company Schneider Electric; energy efficient construction firm Build In Green; and Swiss multinational manufacturing group Geberit; and IDEAS UPV.