On 8th June, the worlds first 3D Builder will begin it’s time with FabCity, which is a global project with the idea of developing ‘locally productive and globally connected self-sufficient cities’. This robot is the first of it’s kind to be linked not only to 3D printing but also the technology used in assembly within the automotive industry. It allows far more freedom when creating ornamental designs within architecture, and relies on interchangeable print heads. The robot also makes use of the Italian D-shape method, known for its use of binder-jetting, with a magnesium-based glue between layers of the print medium, though this method has been developed with different materials. Caterpillar tracks (often used for ‘crawler’ tractors) can also be used for transportation, in collaboration with Acotech from Eindhoven, so the robot can be moved across building sites. It will be used to create a temporary campus for FabCity in Java-eiland in Amsterdam. The campus will be a 1:4 version of the Landscape House.
Architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars of Universe Architecture remarks: ‘It is fantastic that we have jointly conceived a machine that can make something new. This was much more commonplace for architects during the Renaissance.’
Rutger Sypkens of BAM Bouw en Techniek also adds: ‘As well as the form freedom, we are also very much taken by the circular process. Concrete granulate and pre-existing prints can serve as a raw material for the machine at a later stage.’
The printer process itself is similar to that of an inkjet printer, the difference in this case, being that a bonding material is printed, or ‘dripped’ onto the sand surface, which then hardens the sand into the desired shape. This process also shares similarities with a 3D printing techniue with plastic, where a laser heats a layer of plastic powder into the right shape before another layer of powder is added. However, in this process, the printing medium and bonding liquid are both naturally occurring materials, which were in fact used to strengthen the Great Wall of China, and were also used by the Romans.
Egbert Fransen, the culture administrator of the officiale EU2016 Arts & Design programme, Europe by People, says: ‘The fact that the creation of this unique collaboration is taking place at FabCity is proof that if you bring together different innovative parties, large and small, the result is ground-breaking initiatives that are relevant for the development of the city of the future.’ FabCity, is home to fifty pavilions, workshops, installations, with prototypes on display. Sustainability and the circular economy being key features. FabCity is accessible free of charge to everyone, until 26 June 2016.
http://fab.city/
