3D printed construction is starting to become a fully-fledged industry, with multiple methods of 3D printing buildings being developed across the world. While most focus on large gantry systems for extruding concrete into three-dimensional shapes, we’ve also seen tiny robots do the printing. Now, researchers from Cornell University and Jenny Sabin Studio have invented a new method for building large structures in 3D. It involves 3D printed, interlocking blocks that the researchers call PolyBricks.
Enormous gantry systems may be difficult to transport, though not entirely impossible, given the size of construction vehicles, and the family of Minibuilder robots would still require a separate system for implementing steel support beams to prevent a concrete structure from collapsing. PolyBricks are ceramic bricks that are similar to cinder blocks, but don’t require any mortar. Examining the techniques in wood joinery, the researchers use a tapered dovetail shape to lock the bricks to one another and ensure structural integrity.…
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