Dubai said it would construct a small office building using a 3D
printer for the first time, in a drive to develop technology that would
cut costs and save time as the city grows.
3D printing, which uses a printer to make three-dimensional objects
from a digital design, is taking off in manufacturing industries around
the world but has so far been used little in construction.
Dubai's one-storey prototype building, with about 2,000 square feet
(185 square metres) of floor space, will be printed layer-by-layer using
a 20-foot tall printer, Mohamed Al Gergawi, the United Arab Emirates
Minister of Cabinet Affairs, said on Tuesday.
It would then be assembled on site within a few weeks. Interior
furniture and structural components would also be built through 3D
printing with reinforced concrete, gypsum reinforced with glass fibre,
and plastic.
The project is a tie-up between Dubai and Winsun,
a Chinese company that has been pioneering the use of 3D printers to
build houses. Gergawi cited studies estimating the technique could cut
building time by 50-70% and labour costs by 50-80%.
(Torontosun.com)
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