3D printer
Kamp C purchased a 3D printer from Denmark's 3D Printhuset in 2018. This advanced printer is currently being used in a partnership with Thomas More University of Applied Sciences. Within this collaboration, the 3D printer is used for project work within the college's construction course. In addition, the printer is also available to other researchers and start-ups interested in the innovative technology.
It is a classic gantry model printer, with a print head that moves freely within the three dimensions of a frame. The printer measures as much as 11.4 by 10 by 10 metres and can print a building that is up to 8.3 metres high, 9.5 metres wide and 9.5 metres deep. The machine is modular: it can be made larger or smaller by adding extensions (of 2.5 metres) in height, length and width. That modular technology is unique within the world of 3D printing.
More freedom of form, less cement
With the purchase of this printer, the step to 3D printing became a lot smaller for Flemish construction companies. "With our printer, companies can determine down to the millimetre how they want to construct their building. Moreover, a 3D printer offers architects much more freedom of form. Because it is an automated process, productivity and efficiency also skyrocket. On top of that, a 3D printer ensures safer and better working conditions. For construction companies, the time they can save with a 3D printer is of course one of the most important advantages: time is money, also in the construction industry," says Henrik Lund-Nielsen, CEO of 3D Printhuset.
Henrik Lund-Nielsen: "Moreover, a 3D printer reduces the ecological footprint of the construction industry. The traditional construction industry is a big sinner in terms of wasting materials. With a 3D printer, you only use the material you really need: no more and no less."
Within the world of 3D printing, there is also plenty of experimentation with new - often recycled - materials. "The cement industry is known as the most polluting manufacturing industry in the world. 3D printing offers the industry new opportunities to reduce the use of cement as well as greening it."
