In a world first, load-bearing concrete walls built with a 3D printer

A Germany-based construction engineering company says it has constructed the world’s first load-bearing concrete walls built with a 3D printer.

Züblin built a new warehouse from a single 3D print for Strabag Baumaschinentechnik International in Stuttgart, Germany using a Putzmeister 3D printer. The machine’s mast boom has a 26-meter reach. The extensive span, Züblin says, allows the application of “concrete in several layers precisely on the basis of a predefined and digital blueprint via a special print head.”

3D concrete printing has been limited by the lack of scalability for large-scale projects. The printer used on this project offers more flexibility and range, which provides the potential for scalability on large-scale projects, Züblin says.

The technology allows for production of solid wall cross-sections in a single operation and the use of CO2-reduced concrete.