Progress Group introduces SPI course of for superior development 3D printing | VoxelMatters

The Progress Group, a specialist in precast concrete manufacturing and a (lesser-known) innovator in binder jetting expertise, has unveiled its newest innovation in development: the SPI (Selective Paste Intrusion) course of. This new 3D printing expertise brings extra precision and adaptability to producing concrete parts and opens new design horizons for architects and builders worldwide.

The binder jetting 3D printer developed on the Progress Group’s devoted printing middle in Brixen, South Tyrol, is on the coronary heart of this innovation. In contrast to standard 3D concrete printing methods that intention to assemble whole partitions or buildings straight on development websites, the SPI expertise is intentionally designed for off-site manufacturing. It focuses on creating subcomponents comparable to formwork, façades, balconies, and intricately formed prefabricated components. This technique prioritizes high quality, effectivity, and architectural freedom, providing builders a sensible and scalable instrument for contemporary development challenges.

The SPI system operates on a easy but revolutionary precept. A print head injects cement paste right into a ready powder mattress manufactured from combination. This cement paste is utilized solely the place structural bonding is critical. As soon as the bonding is about within the outlined areas, a brand new layer of combination is deposited, and the method repeats. With every layer solely three millimeters thick, the result’s a meticulously detailed and structurally sound concrete element. This layered method permits complicated geometries to be created with excessive floor decision, whereas the unbonded materials serves as non permanent help all through the construct course of.

The scale of the SPI printer’s job field—4 meters lengthy, 2.5 meters vast, and 1 meter excessive—spotlight its capability to supply large-scale, customized concrete components that had been as soon as tough, if not not possible, to manufacture economically. As a result of materials is used solely in areas that require structural integrity, SPI additionally promotes sustainable development practices by minimizing waste and lowering useful resource consumption.

Progress Group’s strategy to 3D concrete printing is evolutionary relatively than revolutionary. It extends and enhances current development applied sciences relatively than changing them. The corporate emphasizes that SPI doesn’t intend to compete with on-site printing strategies that produce whole buildings. As an alternative, it’s a sophisticated instrument within the development toolbox, excellent for initiatives involving complicated shapes or restricted manufacturing runs that might be cost-prohibitive utilizing conventional mold-based strategies.

This technological breakthrough matches seamlessly into the Progress Group’s broader mission of bettering residing and dealing environments by way of progressive precast concrete options. The group designs and delivers machines, techniques, and software program for precast concrete crops, contributing to creating sturdy, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing buildings across the globe.

Headquartered in Brixen, South Tyrol, the Progress Group operates internationally, with branches in Germany, Belgium, the US, Canada, Malaysia, and China. Its international footprint and technological management allow it to set new benchmarks in development automation and precast manufacturing.