3D printing helps China’s economy

http://www.scmp.com/tech/innovation/article/1852059/3d-printing-can-help-modernise-chinas-economy-premier-li-keqiang

A 3D printed building in Shaanxi. Chinese premier Li Keqiang has called for greater investment in the technology. Photo: SCMP Pictures

3D printing can help modernise China’s economy: premier Li Keqiang

The development of 3D printing technologies must be part of a push to modernise China’s economy, the country’s premier, Li Keqiang, said during a speech to the State Council.

Echoing his “Internet Plus” doctrine, Li said a new technological revolution is at hand, and China needs to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in order to maintain competitiveness in a global rush to “reindustrialise”.

His address to the State Council focused on accelerating the development of advanced manufacturing in China, touching on technologies ranging from the internet to industrial robotics and automated machinery.

Since assuming office in 2013, Li has stressed the need for economic reform and a “new normal” growth plan at a sustainable, albeit slower, pace of development. That plan has been rocked by volatility in the stock market in recent months as well as a sharp slowdown in economic growth and flagging demand.

During the address, Li stressed the importance of marrying information technology with traditional manufacturing – a key tenet of his “Internet Plus” strategy – and pointed to 3D printing as “representative of a disruptive technology in the manufacturing industry … which has transformed traditional conceptions and methods of manufacturing.”

Li further highlighted in his address weaknesses underlying the Chinese economy, pointing to weaknesses in innovation, low ‘value-added’ production, poor quality in managerial and sales services, which are further exacerbated by resource and environmental constraints.

The premier’s statements come as Chinese firms working on 3D printing in the construction sector have announced multiple recent successes.

In July, real estate development firm Zhuoda Group assembled a 3D printed 200 square metre home in three hours, having printed the materials over 10 days at a cost of US$400-480 per square metre.

Also this year, construction firm Winsun 3D printed around a dozen 60 square metre houses in one day at a cost of US$5,000 per house. The firm is also currently partnering with the UNited Arab Emirates National Innovation Committee to 3D print an office building in Dubai.

According to Winsun, 3D printing can decrease the material cost of construction by 60 per cent, labour costs by 80 per cent and cut construction time by 70 per cent. The process can also incorporate recycled construction waste into the printing.

scmp.com

by Tim Chen | Monday, 24 August, 2015, 11:53am

 

First 3D printed office building!

http://www.rt.com/news/270823-dubai-3d-printed-building/

Still from YouTube video by Museum Of The Future

World’s 1st 3D printed office building to glam up Dubai

An ambitious UAE plan to build the first fully functional 3D printed office building in the world has been announced in Dubai. It is being promoted as both cost effective and time saving.

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Mohamed Al Gergawi, the United Arab Emirates Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the National Innovation Committee, said on Tuesday that Dubai plans to 3D-print a one-story “office building” of about 2,000 square feet (185 square meters) in size, Reuters reported.

“We are keen to use the latest technologies to simplify people’s lives and to serve them better. This project is part of our overall innovation strategy to create new designs and new solutions in education, healthcare and cities,” Al Gergawi said in a statement. “Our goal is to increase the happiness and wellbeing of our residents and to pioneer new solutions for the world.”

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The building, which is to be situated in the center of the coastal business hub city, will be printed layer-by-layer with a 20-foot tall printer over the course of a few weeks. Its entire interior will also be 3D printed. The technology will cut labor costs by 50-80 percent, and construction time by 50-70 percent, according to expert estimates.

“The idea of 3D printing buildings was once a dream, but today it has become a reality,” Al Gergawi added. “This building will be a testimony to the efficiency and creativity of 3D printing technology, which we believe will play a major role in reshaping construction and design sectors. We aim to take advantage of this growth by becoming a global hub for innovation and 3D printing. This is the first step of many more to come.”

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The project is a result of cooperation between Dubai and WinSun, a pioneering Chinese company that specializes in building houses with 3D printers, as well as other major firms such as Gensler, Thornton Thomasetti, and Syska Hennessy.

The cutting-edge “office” will be the temporary headquarters of the “Museum of the Future” that was announced this March and is scheduled to open in 2017.

References:

rt.com

http://www.rt.com/news/270823-dubai-3d-printed-building/

3D printed 10 detached single-storey houses in 24 hours!

3D printing a house has become SO last week in China!

Now a Chinese company has created a giant 3D printer that 3D prints ten houses. IN 24 HOURS!

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-27156775

3D printed house

A company in China has used giant 3D printers to make 10 full-sized, detached single-storey houses in a day, it appears.

A private firm, WinSun, used four 10m x 6.6m printers to spray a mixture of cement and construction waste to build the walls, layer by layer, official Xinhua news agency reported.

The cheap materials used during the printing process and the lack of manual labour means that each house can be printed for under $5,000, the 3dprinterplans website says.

“We can print buildings to any digital design our customers bring us. It’s fast and cheap,” says WinSun chief executive Ma Yihe. He also hopes his printers can be used to build skyscrapers in the future. At the moment, however, Chinese construction regulations do not allow multi-storey 3D-printed houses, Xinhua says.

The method of 3D printing has become more widely used in recent years. Manufacturers and designers have been able to make everyday items such as jewellery and furniture, as well as more specialised objects like industrial components.

3D printed house

References:

The marvels of 3D printing

CHECK OUT our latest blog post! Analysing the impact of 3D printing on houses, cars and boats, we take a look at WinSun; the eco-friendly house builders, Kor Ecologic Ltd; the 3D car printers and the space age looking URBEE 2, a completely 3D printed vehicle!

http://malta3dprinting.blogspot.com/…/the-marvels-of-3d-pri…

The Marvels of 3D Printing – Houses, Cars and Boats!

If you’ve been following our blog, you’ve most likely been impressed with 3D printing’s versatility – stylish casts, augmented reality sets, retro gaming devices and even beautiful dresses – but now, prepare to marvel in 3DP’s greatest achievements.

Think big – both in scope and size – and you may come close to what we’re about to show you.

We’re taking a look at 3D printable houses, cars and boats – in a quick review sure to please the techies and leave the average person dumbfounded.

You may be asking – how can a relatively small device create a house, or rather, a home, or even a vehicle?

Simply put, these are no average printers – reports claim that the behemoth used to create houses is 10 metres wide and 6.6 metres tall, placing it towards the top of the 3D printing food chain.

The video below captures an ambitious Chinese company’s plans to mass produce houses. Oh, and these aren’t made of plastic! Using recycled stone and quick-drying cement, WinSun, the company responsible, are able to construct 10 eco-friendly dwellings a day!

As we look towards our Chinese printing cousins – we must admire their efficiency and applaud their intention to plug a hole in the market. With China’s property bubble only beginning to show signs of popping in 2014, millions are currently occupying less than adequate living quarters.

Sitting at only a few thousand dollars each, these cosy houses would make a perfect home for the millions of students in Beijing, for example.

Besides being cost-effective, 3D printing is all about environmental protection and longevity. In line with this, Kor Ecologic ltd. are aiming to reduce the billion vehicles already present on our polluted roads – by, you guessed it, 3D printing cars.

As per Korecologic.com, by the time 2050 rolls around the world’s car population will rise to a staggering 2.5 billion. Clearly it would be advantageous for the children of tomorrow to purchase one type of car when they reach their coming of age – one that supports, rather than destroys the environment.

With 3D printing ushering in a new wave of efficiency and sustainability for those knowledgeable enough to harness its power – one should certainly consider a 3D printable car as a gift for the near future.

So, what 3D printed cars are currently available on the market?

The URBEE 2 – a space age looking vehicle with an internal and external structure entirely 3D printed – would be able to travel an extraordinary 4000 kilometers with only 10 gallons of bio-fuel!

Malta 3D Printing is very excited about this prospect! As an upgrade from its predecessor, the URBEE (a worldwide sensation in 2011), the small but stylish URBEE 2 promises to deliver reliability and affordability for a better tomorrow.

Moving on to the final inspirational product that we’ve chosen to feature on our blog today, we have a pair of 3D printed boats sure to turn heads across the seven seas.

One of thee promising creations is from a group of passionate American students from the University of Washington with their ‘milk jug’ style boat – and another from our friends from the East, a Chinese boat that dipped its toes in the water for the first time less than 2 weeks ago!

The group of students who designed and crafted the ‘milk jug’ boat entered it into the annual Seattle Milk Carton Derby, finishing the race in second place! After 8 long weeks of research and preparation, the student team used recycled and melted milk cartons to build their sea vessel – as opposed to the standard thermoplastics normally used.

The Chinese boat, created by the country’s largest 3D printer, is a two-metre long boat weighing in at 35 kilograms, and made of nylon. Similar to the American entry, the Chinese boat supports two adults.

Malta 3D Printing believes that group of UW students really outdid themselves. Both companies used a minimalist approach, recycling different materials to achieve aesthetically pleasing and practical products.

Of course, these projects are not for any regular amateur – requiring plenty of materials and knowledge in the world of 3D printing and their respective areas (architecture, aerodynamics, buoyancy, to name a few).

We hope to see more groundbreaking additions to the 3D printed world soon!

MALTA3DPRINTING.BLOGSPOT.COM
by  | 29 July 2014