Hamilton Labs, a Singapore-based 3D printing company active in the construction sector, has partnered with Ang Cheng Guan Construction (ACG) and French materials manufacturer Saint-Gobain to establish an Additive Manufacturing & Robotics Hub.
According to Willy Ng, co-founder of Hamilton Labs, “Conventional building design and construction methodologies are ripe for disruption. The Hub,” to be located in Singapore, “will lead the way to drive this forward through 3D printing, automation, and robotics, coupled with constant innovations in sustainable materials.”
“With a pipeline of developments which embrace 3D printing from ACG, we expect the pace of disruption and progress towards increased sustainability in the building and construction spaces will hasten.”
Hamilton Labs Additive Manufacturing & Robotics Hub
Founded in 2017, Hamilton Labs, a division of Hamilton Holdings, has developed additive manufacturing technologies for humanitarian efforts such as sanitation. This has resulted in 3D printed cement toilets for the Madhubani district in Bihar which spans across Eastern and Northern India.
The company collaborated with the National University of Singapore Centre for Additive Manufacturing (AM.NUS), a part of the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) to develop the HamilBot Mark 1 3D printer. This machine is built on a robotic arm that extrudes cement based on recycled fly ash.
According to Ng, the Hamilton Labs Additive Manufacturing & Robotics Hub aims to give building and construction SMEs a starting point for adopting 3D printing and sustainability in this sector.
Accelerating construction 3D printing
Based in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix, a division of Saint-Gobain, has also entered into a collaboration with BAM Infra, Bekaert, Witteveen+Bos, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), and Van Wijnen. This venture has lead to the establishment of an industrial concrete 3D printing facility. The new Hamilton Labs Additive Manufacturing & Robotics Hub will follow the model of this Eindhoven site.
This means it will seek to be the first in Asia to deploy technologies and methodologies in the 3D concrete printing field, using Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) platforms. The new hub will also work with local construction companies and government bodies to promote “a culture of 3D printing in the construction sector.”
Moreover, autonomous building and construction vehicles and equipment will be developed to further accelerate new additive manufacturing construction processes.
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Featured image shows concrete 3D printing. Photo via Hamilton Labs.
