An expanded partnership between BigRep and Forward AM, BASF’s 3D printing business, has yielded a new 3D printing material, Concrete Formwork, targeting the architecture and construction industries.
Development of the material is envisioned to expand the limits of what can be done with traditional concrete for the built environment. Working with concrete not only requires a lot of labor and time; there are also limitations in terms of the level of intricacy for the final product.
The Concrete Formwork material was developed to blow past the barriers of labor, time, cost and limitations on the shape of the final product. The formwork molds generally used for concrete can make up between 40 percent and 60 percent of a construction project’s budget, so reducing those costs could have a significant impact on the financial viability of new development.
BigRep and Forward AM have leveraged their expertise in virtual engineering, additive manufacturing, advanced material development and large-format printing to achieve construction components that were previously challenging to produce, with organic geometries, double-curved surfaces and cavities. The 3D-printed production of casts or molds made with Concrete Formwork is estimated to be three times faster and 30 percent less expensive and to result in less material waste than conventional concrete molds.
“At Forward AM, we developed a highly dimensionally stable, rigid formwork material, especially tailored to work seamlessly on the BigRep’s large-format 3D printers. We are excited to be able to deliver this ready-to-use, end-to-end fabrication solution for bespoke formwork,” said François Minec, managing director of BASF 3D Printing Solutions.
The partnership involves utilizing BigRep’s large-format 3D printers, up to one cubic meter in build volume, that can print large parts – faster and at a lower cost. This capacity, combined with Forward AM’s Concrete Formwork tailored for architecture and construction, could solve some of the persistent problems posed by design and construction using traditional concrete.
To demonstrate the potential of building with Concrete Formwork, Forward AM and BigRep showcased the Bespoke Stair at Nest Step2, designed by DBT at ETH Zürich with ROK, SW Umwelttechnik, and Walt Galmarini. The geometrically complex staircase minimizes costs and material waste and relies less on skilled labor. It’s also reportedly 50 percent lighter than conventional stairs, resulting in a lower carbon footprint, as less cement, concrete, and fossil fuels are needed for transport.
This potential carbon emissions reduction is vital. More than 4 billion tons of cement are produced annually, representing about 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to a report from Chatham House.
While the weight of a similar conventionally constructed staircase is estimated at 1,913 kilograms, the staircase constructed using 3D-printed Concrete Formwork comes in at 850 kilograms. According to Forward AM, the Concrete Formwork’s filament enables thin and complex structural properties unseen with regular concrete. The final Concrete Formwork staircase is viewed as a single structure but consists of individual stairs prefabricated and assembled on-site.
In addition to the bespoke stair concept, Concrete Formwork has been applied in the real world for a building restoration project involving 5-meter-tall window frames by Geiger. It was also used to produce a public sculpture in Stockholm by BB Beton.
In general, the production process entails 3D printing the Concrete Formwork parts, assembling them, conducting any post-processing of the formwork as necessary, casting the concrete within the formwork using conventional methods, and keeping the formwork for future reuse.
“We are excited to work with Forward AM to bring more solutions to the architecture and construction industry,” said Sven Thate, managing director of BigRep. “Our customers are seeing huge gains in terms of cost and speed thanks to our large-format machines and the new Concrete Formwork filament. Our solutions are opening the doors to many new possibilities.”