flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Tenn. startup uses freeform 3D printer to build full-size walls

BIM and Information Technology

Tenn. startup uses freeform 3D printer to build full-size walls

Branch Technology used the world’s largest freeform printer, one that has an arm that prints objects in open space, to make the lightweight yet incredibly sturdy lattice structures.


By Mike Chamernik, Associate Editor | July 29, 2015
Startup builds a reputation with 3D printed walls

Photo: Courtesy Branch Technology

While 3D printing technology has gone from novel to practical in many realms, the construction industry has been a little slow in adopting it and using it in a meaningful way.

Branch Technology, a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based startup, is going all-in on 3D printing. According to 3DPrint.com, the company is the first to successfully construct full-size building walls using the technology.

It took the world’s largest freeform printer, one that has an arm that prints objects in open space, to make the lightweight yet incredibly sturdy lattice structures.

Branch’s focus right now is to make interior walls and art installations, but eventually the company plans to make load-bearing and exterior walls, and entire buildings.

 

Related Stories

| May 23, 2012

New hospitals invest in data centers to manage growth in patient info

Silver Cross became one of the first hospitals to install patient tracking software so families know where a patient is at all times. New communication equipment supports wireless voice and data networks throughout the hospital, providing access to patients and their families while freeing clinicians to use phones and computers where needed instead of based on location.

| May 21, 2012

$61,000 awarded to students in Cleveland’s ACE Mentor Program

Mayor Frank G. Jackson gives keynote address at scholarship event for 80 Cleveland Metropolitan School District students involved in the ACE Mentor Program, which provides guidance and assistance for students interested in careers in the integrated construction industry.

| May 14, 2012

SMPS and Deltek announce alliance

A/E/C industry leaders partner to advance technology’s role in design firm marketing and business development.

| May 14, 2012

ArchiCAD e-Specs integration unveiled

Architects, engineers and construction professionals use InterSpec’s e-SPECS products on thousands of projects annually to maintain synchronization between construction models, drawings, and project specifications.

| May 9, 2012

International green building speaker to keynote Australia’s largest building systems trade show

Green building, sustainability consultant, green building book author Jerry Yudelson will be the keynote speaker at the Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration and Building Systems (ARBS) conference in Melbourne, Australia.

| May 7, 2012

BIM in the academy

Lessons for the AEC industry.

| May 7, 2012

2012 BUILDING TEAM AWARDS: TD Ameritrade Park

The new stadium for the College World Series in Omaha combines big-league amenities within a traditional minor league atmosphere.

| May 2, 2012

Trimble acquires SketchUp 3D modeling platform

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2012.

| Apr 27, 2012

China Mobile selects Leo A Daly to design three buildings at its new HQ

LEO A DALY, in collaboration with Local Design Institute WDCE, wins competition to design Phase 2, Plot B, of Campus.

| Apr 24, 2012

McLennan named Ashoka Fellow

McLennan was recognized for his work on the Living Building Challenge.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021