Italcementi presents fast-setting cement mixture for 3D printing

Italcementi has presented a new concrete mixture developed specifically for construction 3D printing applications at the BAUTEC conference in Berlin, Germany.

The new mixture is developed to be fast setting, to enable deposition of more complex geometries, and also more sustainable, in line with the company's targets for more sustainable construction processes.

Italcementi, part of the HeidelbergCement Group, began studying 3D printing technology in 2015 at the company's laboratories (ie, the i.lab) in Bergamo, Italy. In particular, Italcementi conducted research activities to develop cementitious material that could be adaptable to different 3D printing technologies to provide an innovative solution for construction.

The company looks to 3D printing to create a new 'building' culture, a new design and implementation system based on digital technologies and involving architecture and design firms, construction companies, research centres and universities.

Italcementi started to study the 3D printing technologies by focussing on the materials' properties of cement and concrete. The know-how acquired and the technical skills developed by the research team during the laboratory phase have been supported through investments in laboratory machines and partnerships. The team has grown to include engineers, materials chemists, architects and laboratory technicians/researchers, to a total of about 15 people, with over 15,000h of research in 2018.

Italcementi's partners are part of a network that includes universities, architectural and engineering firms. Among these, are the Harvard College Graduate School of Design, the University of Naples 'Federico II' (Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Industrial Production and Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture), the University of Florence (Consortium for the Development of Large Interphase Systems) and construction 3D printing startups like COBOD International.