The authority on 3D concrete printing

We go back to the year 1959 when we talk about the creation of dry mortar. Eindhoven was “booming business” at that time. Large industries, such as DAF and Philips, were leaving Eindhoven shaking on its foundations. Naturally, concrete mortar was an important component in enabling Eindhoven's growth. So it was logical that one of the first 'residents' of the industrial area was Beatrix concrete factory. In 1965, Philips decided to share its innovations widely with the public; the Evoluon was built. A clock tower was to rise next to the Evoluon's UFO-like saucer. To achieve a beautiful and smooth appearance, the concrete had to comply with color qualifications for the first time. Creativity was called for. One fine day, a structural engineer, architect and a “concrete worker” sat together in the pub. After some discussion about the problem to be solved, the 'concrete man' suggested drying the sand and gravel before mixing it. A small asphalt tumbling dryer was acquired and sand and gravel were dried, mixed with cement, filled into 70kg(!) bags and transported by flat cart from 'De Beatrix' to the Evoluon construction site. Dry mortar was born, the mix of Trix (hence Beamix). Since then, Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix has been piling innovation upon innovation. Saint-Gobain wants to drastically reduce CO2 emissions and become CO2 neutral by 2050. Thus, one of the goals is to completely replace the cement in concrete mortar. The first step towards this has been taken with Weber 3D Eco, a product with 49% less CO2 emissions than traditional mortar.

Because of its expertise in dry mortars, at the beginning of this century, from the University of California, the question arose as to whether a concrete mortar could be developed for 3D printing. The basic requirement was that the printed layers could support subsequent layers. The bottom layers are obviously not immediately cured, but will have to bear the weight of the layers that follow based on their rheological properties. This resulted in the first 3D printed concrete wall in 2005. This demonstrated that both the material and the process were promising.

In 2015, Theo Salet, a professor at TU Eindhoven, decided to investigate how the 3D concrete printing process could be more automated. In cooperation with Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix and BAM Infra, among others, the first 3D-printed bicycle bridge was realized in Gemert in 2017. This eight-meter concrete bridge was printed in TU Eindhoven's lab. Two years later, Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix decided to set up its own product location. In January 2019, the first commercial concrete printing plant in Europe was opened in Eindhoven, where a 29-meter-long bicycle bridge for Nijmegen was then printed. Later, the development and production activities in 3D concrete printing were steadily intensified under the Saint-Gobain Weber brand name.

For many companies, 3D concrete printing is still in the R&D and trial and error phase. Saint-Gobain Weber has developed the 3D Mortar Platform to guarantee the quality of a final product. This platform safeguards the process, enabling structural and consistent delivery of the required quality. Dry concrete mortar specifically developed for 3D concrete printing is used and produced and controlled according to KIWA certification. Then the entire printing process is monitored through sensors and quality measurements. These generate the necessary data to control the entire printing process. After printing, the strength development of the printed objects is checked after 7 and 28 days. Only when the entire Quality Control Process is successfully completed, the customer receives a certificate. This states that the produced object meets all, pre-agreed, values. With this entire process, Saint-Gobain Weber is unique in the world.

Weber is part of Saint-Gobain; the world leader in light and sustainable building. Saint-Gobain designs, produces and distributes materials and services for construction and operates in 76 countries. The added value of being part of this group lies in sharing knowledge of equipment, mortars and technologies. Worldwide, the organization has the most knowledge and practical experience in the field of 3D concrete printing.

Many high-profile projects have now been realized using the 3D printing technique. These can be found on this map. All these projects have provided a wealth of knowledge and experience about material, process and the required final quality of structural products.