Using the latest 3D printing techniques, or more accurately, "additive manufacturing," the Arup team has produced a design method for critical structural steel elements for use in complex projects.
The work signals a whole new direction for the use of additive manufacturing in the field of construction and engineering. The research also shows that additive manufacturing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.
We created a redesign of a steel node for a light weight structure using additive manufacturing. Arup has a lot of experience with these kind of structures, for example, the tensegrity structure of the Kurilpa Bridge in Australia. The complex geometry of these kind of nodes are an ideal showcase of the possibilities of this new technique.
"By using additive manufacturing we can create lots of complex individually designed pieces far more efficiently," said Salomé Galjaard, Arup's team leader on the project. "This has tremendous implications for reducing costs and cutting waste. But most importantly, this approach potentially enables a very sophisticated design, without the need to simplify the design in a later stage to lower costs.”
Arup funded the development work and collaborated with a number of partners to realize the designs, including WithinLab (an engineering design software and consulting company), CRDM/3D Systems (the Additive Manufacturing partner), and EOS, who worked on the early development of the technology.
For more, visit: http://www.arup.com/News/2014_06_June/05_June_Construction_steelwork_makes_3D_printing_premiere.aspx.
3D Printed Steel Node
By using 3D printing, or "additive manufacturing," complex individually designed pieces can be created far more efficiently.
Traditionally Fabricated Node
A traditionally produced steel node is at the moment still cheaper to produce, but it is expected that this will change in the short term.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 28, 2020
2020 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
The 2020 Giants 400 Report features more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Airports | Jul 28, 2020
CallisonRTKL to design one of the world’s first net-zero airports
Guadalajara Airport Terminal 2 will be designed from the ground up.
Coronavirus | Jul 20, 2020
Student housing amid the pandemic, infection control in buildings, and future airport design on "The Weekly"
Experts from Core Spaces, Bala Consulting Engineers, and Populous were interviewed in the July 23 streaming program from Horizon TV.
Airports | Jun 24, 2020
LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B officially opens
HOK and WSP USA designed the project.
Airports | Feb 7, 2020
A 780-ft-long pedestrian walkway is positioned over an active taxi lane at Sea-Tac International
It took eight years to plan, design, and construct this bridge.
Airports | Nov 12, 2019
$1B terminal opens at New Orleans International Airport
LEO A DALY designed the project.
Airports | Oct 30, 2019
COX Architecture and Zaha Hadid Architects will design the Western Sydney Airport
The COX/ZHA team was selected from a field of over forty applicants.
Giants 400 | Oct 25, 2019
Top 55 Airport Sector Construction Firms for 2019
Hensel Phelps, AECOM, Turner, Skanska, and PCL top the rankings of the nation's largest airport terminal sector contractors and construction management firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 25, 2019
Top 60 Airport Sector Engineering Firms for 2019
Jacobs, Arup, Burns & McDonnell, Ghafari Associates, and Kimley-Horn head the rankings of the nation's largest airport terminal sector engineering and engineering architecture (EA) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 25, 2019
Top 50 Airport Sector Architecture Firms for 2019
AECOM, Gensler, HNTB, Corgan, and HOK top the rankings of the nation's largest airport terminal sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
