D-Shape Reshapes NYC

By on April 29th, 2013 in Usage

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Concrete 3D printer D-Shape has been awarded first place in NYC’s “Change the Course” Waterfront construction competition. The USD$50,000 prize is intended to generate unique ideas and approaches for redeveloping the 565 miles of NYC shoreline, particularly after damages incurred by Hurricane Sandy. 
 
D-Shape’s technology will be used to restore damaged seawalls other other edifices by scanning, remodeling and then 3D printing concrete. The NYC press release says: 
 
The advantages of quality control in fabricating off-site yet being able to closely fit the encasements, blocks or extensions to the surface that they are nestled into has a number of advantages, including lower costs, better quality control (thus longer life), lower labor mobilization and quicker delivery and installations.  Furthermore, there is a potential opportunity to rejuvenate the waterfront by letting artists leverage the total freedom of design to add an aesthetic touch without a significant added cost.
 
How much savings could be achieved with D-Shape’s approach? They estimate a staggering USD$2.9B! They’ve developed an approach for scanning individual decaying piles and 3D printing custom fittings to secure them for the future. If that sounds like a lot of work, it is – but it’s far less than solving the issue with traditional approaches. 
 
If NYC proceeds, this could be one of the biggest boosts to a 3D printing startup in history. Certainly it would permit the construction of several concrete 3D printers, which, after completing NYC’s waterfront, could be used to print a great many other exterior structures worldwide. 
 
Via NYCEDC

By Kerry Stevenson

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!