Chennai-based start-upTevasta制造解决方案has begun working withIndia Cementsto develop a new, more sustainable construction 3D printing material.
As part of a recently-signed ‘strategic collaboration’ deal, the firms have agreed to exchange technologies and conduct joint R&D, with the aim of coming up with a novel, eco-friendly cement formulation. Having worked on both private projects and those for theIndian Air Forcetogether, the companies now intend to extend their partnership, as a means of making Indian construction less resource-intensive.
“We are excited that Tvasta Manufacturing’s technology delivers a cost-effective construction method that offers quicker turn-arounds as compared to conventional methods,” Rupa Gurunath, Director of India Cements,told the Times of India. “But what we are particularly enthusiastic about is that this methodology is more eco-friendly, with lower consumption of water and sand, two of our most precious resources.”
“‘Sustainability’ is a new phenomenon for the construction industry, and we are privileged that this partnership is just about to bring it within the easy reach of the common man in our country.”
Tvasta Manufacturing’s AM ambitions
由三个建立IIT-Madras校友，Tevasta Manufacturing在那里孵化，直到2016年，该公司最终被淘汰。最初，该公司为那些寻求将3D打印纳入其供应链的印度企业提供了咨询服务，但他们很快意识到他们可以利用自己的专业知识来开发自己的产品。
在迭代技术以至于他们能够在2020年创建印度的第一个3D印刷房屋之后，Tevasta Manufacturing团队很快就开始以生产系统的形式将其商业化。借助这台机器，该公司的创始人表示，他们设法减少了过程的材料消耗，并优化了他们能够使用它的结构的属性。
While little has been made public about the workings of Tvasta Manufacturing’s 3D printer, it’s understood to deliver cost and lead time benefits over traditional construction technologies. From what we do know, the company has established an ‘end-to-end’ portfolio, composed of machines, software and materials, which it says is capable of delivering custom infrastructure efficiently, and at scale.
A continued India Cements collaboration
Tevasta Manufacturing和India水泥已经共同开展了许多项目，包括建造the Indian Army’s first 3D printed houses. Built in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, alongside the Army’sMilitary Engineering Services(MES), the 700 square foot abodes were completed inside three weeks, and designed to meet the accommodation needs of India’s Armed Forces.
At the time, the builds were said to have showcased the ability of Tvasta Manufacturing’s technology, to not only construct buildings rapidly enough to meet urgent housing needs, but to make them in-line with Zone-3 earthquake standards.
但是，通过与印度水库新建立的合作伙伴关系，该公司现在正在寻求使其流程更具可持续性。目前，该技术比传统的房屋建造方法要少30％，但该公司认为，通过进一步的数字化和对其原料进行调整，它可以变成一种对建筑行业的吸引力的方法。
“We are confident that this partnership will significantly improve our technology’s orientation to sustainability, resulting in highly-efficient and targeted solutions,” added C. Vidyashankar, COO of Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions. “Not only will this lead to an expedited unification between technology, sustainability and construction in India, but with the support of India Cements, this will pave the way for such a unification in the global markets as well.”
Sustainability in concrete 3D printing
With concrete 3D printing starting to make inroads into mainstream construction, the attention of researchers and the industry’s early market leaders, has begun to turn to perfecting the materials behind the process. Engineers at柏林技术大学和布鲁内尔大学, for instance, have developed a3D printing material made from recycled glass, with strong sustainability credentials.
使用3D打印机制造COBOD, Mexican material developerCemexhas also come up with a means ofmaking regular concrete 3D printable. By adding its D.fab admixture to everyday concrete, the firm is said to have created a material that’s not only more sustainable, but has unique qualities that allow it to “gain shape instantaneously,” yielding cost and lead time advantages.
Elsewhere, researchers at fellow India-based technology instituteIIT Guwahatihave even managed to develop a way of3D打印废物成环保结构. Using industrial leftovers as a binder, the team were able to print a piece of ‘urban furniture’ earlier this year, in a way that unlocked design optimization and material consumption benefits.
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特色图片显示，印度水泥的鲁帕·古纳斯（Rupa Gurunath）和托瓦斯塔（Tevasta）的C. Vidyashankar签署了钦奈公司之间的谅解备忘录（MOU）。通过印度水泥的照片。
