What is 3D printing?
At EIGNER Betonmanufaktur in Nördlingen, Germany, a 6-axis concrete printer is in operation, producing 3D objects made of concrete. In this process, special concrete is pressed out of a patented pressure nozzle; the resulting strand is placed on top of each other layer by layer by a robotic arm. This concrete strand can be varied in its orientation, laying direction and material thickness. This allows three-dimensional objects to be “laid out” layer by layer with the highest precision. The print result then dries; the individual concrete strands form a permanent bond.
- Basically, the concrete objects from the 3D printer are designed as hollow bodies. This saves material, reduces weight and facilitates handling.
- Concrete-based 3D printing can be used for objects of almost any shape and up to a size of approximately 1.5 x 2.5 meters.
- The printed special mortar is suitable for many applications.
- With 3D printing, custom designs as well as small and large series are possible.
- The extremely flexible robot arm of the concrete printer, which can move on 6 axes, makes even complex molds possible.
New variety for concrete
Menschen.Bauen.Zukunft, the TV Bayern live section shows the use of our EIGNER concrete 3D printer.
Until now, the shaping of concrete was limited by the formwork: Only what could be formed could also be cast from concrete. 3D printing lets you forget this limitation: Concrete printing can produce not only straight or simply curved concrete parts, but three-dimensional components with, for example, overhangs or double curvatures.
EIGNER Betonmanufaktur’s concrete printer is controlled by software that determines every slightest movement of the robot arm with its patented pressure nozzle. Every object we print from concrete is stored in our component library and is thus reproducible at any time and as identically as possible. This is also an advantage over conventional formwork technology: In most cases, a formwork can only be used once; a new one is then required for each additional concrete object.
So if you need an object or workpiece again, there’s no need for new dimensions, a new design or even another formwork – we simply reprint the concrete part.
