Do you think it’s taking forever for your neighbour to get his house built? That’s what IIT Madras is aiming to solve.
The engineering and technology institute lead the way in developing India’s first indigenous 3D printing construction technology and successfully built the first 3D printed structure. Along with an additive manufacturing startup—Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions—the faculty and alumni of Civil Engineering department of IIT Madras established a 3D printing laboratory.
IIT Madras Printability Lab aspires to completely automate construction. It aims to develop a platform and a specific process to complete a single-storey house of 320 sq ft within three days. The 3D printing of concrete enables architects to build complex construction designs with ease. In India, it will be focused toward ‘Housing for All’ scheme and to construct toilets under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Kranthi Valluru, Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs told ToI that such technology aids optimal use of resources and would cause a paradigm shift in the construction sector. The technology can also enable development of natural materials or geopolymers which can make the construction process sustainable and green.
The lab aims to build India’s first completely 3D printed house within the next six to eight months.
