Robotic 3D Printing of Mineral Foam for a Lightweight Composite Facade Shading Panel

Abstract

This paper presents the design and fabrication of a lightweight composite facade shading panel using 3D printing (3DP) of mineral foams. Albeit their important role in industrial construction practice as insulators and lightweight materials, only little research has been conducted to use foams in 3DP. However, the recent development of highly porous mineral foams that are very suitable for extrusion printing opens a new chapter for development of geometrically complex lightweight building components with efficient formwork-free additive manufacturing processes. The work documented in this paper was based on preliminary material and fabrication development of a larger research endeavor and systematically explored designs for small interlocking foam modules. Furthermore, the robotic 3D Printing setup and subsequent processing parameters were tested in detail. Through extensive prototyping, the design space of a final demonstrator shading panel was mapped and refined. The design and fabrication process is documented and shows the potential of the novel material system in combination with fiber-reinforced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). The resulting composite shading panel highlights the benefits of using mineral foam 3DP to fabricate freeform stay-in-place formwork for lightweight facade applications. Furthermore, this paper discusses the challenges and limitations encountered during the project and gives a conclusive outlook for future research.

Proceedings of the 27th Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) [Volume 2]

“…Additionally, both the foam production and the printing were faster compared to any syringe foam extrusion setup. Thus, it provides a major improvement compared to the previous study (Bedarf, Martinez Schulte, et al 2021).…”

Foamwork: Challenges and strategies in using mineral foam 3D printing for a lightweight composite concrete slab

“…As a result, it represents a significant advancement over the earlier study. 7 To mitigate the effects of shrinkage and geometrical deviations, a tempered printing environment with relative humidity and temperature control may be proposed for future development.…”

“…This work represents the next phase in the body of research looking at F3DP for applications on an architectural scale. This idea has already been researched in a pilot study using sintered mineral foams for a composite facade shading panel 7 and an arched beam floor system. 8 In the current study, the material and robotic fabrication system are improved.…”

“…In the past, F3DP with mineral foams has been used in a number of small-scale investigations, 16,17 the prototyping of climate-responsive bricks, 18 and the creation of a lightweight composite facade shading panel. 7 However, these studies used sintering, a highly energy-intensive technique, for material consolidation. Additionally, cement foam mix designs and production methods were examined for large-scale F3DP 19,20 and the fabrication of parts with varying densities.…”

Robotic 3D Printing of Mineral Foam for a Lightweight Composite Concrete Slab

“…It is the next step in the body of research investigating foam 3D printing (F3DP) for architectural scale applications. This line of reasoning has been already explored in a preliminary study using sintered mineral foams for a composite facade shading panel (Bedarf, Martinez Schulte, et al 2021).…”