First 3D printing of India in less than a year

The founders of Tvasta with their 3D printed structure at IIT Madras

The faculty and alumni of IIT in Madras have developed what they claim to be the first 3D printing construction technology in India and have successfully built the first 3D printed structure. Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions, a young emerging additive manufacturing company, and the civil engineering department, IIT Madras, have created a 3D printing lab called IIT Madras Printability Lab to market this locally-developed technology.

Tvasta aspires to automate construction. including reinforcing and finishing, rethinking the construction process. It aims to develop a platform and a specific process to build a one-storey 320-square-foot miniature home in three days. A prototype printed at IIT Madras will serve as the basis for a fundamental model of R & D acceleration.

Professor Koshy Varghese, Civil Engineering Department of IIT Madras, said : "We have been working on the development of 3D printing technology in construction since 2016 and have organized international workshops and awareness sessions on this subject in Chennai. In addition, the institute is studying automated construction methods and new formwork systems for rapid housing construction. "

IIT Madras has also been working on other housing technologies, such as the GFRG (Reinforced Gypsum Fiberglbad) and Cold-formed Steel, which are now available. at a mature stage and can enable rapid construction to meet the mbadive demand for housing in India. The teacher. Varghese said the IIT Madras is working with government agencies and industry to disseminate knowledge and establish standards, policies and processes for putting these technologies on the ground.

Prof Manu Santhanam, Department of Civil Engineering, who collaborates with Tvasta, "The 3D printing of concrete adds a new dimension to the construction and can best meet the complex requirements of modern architecture with the concrete. "
3D printing can help print structures that were not possible with conventional technologies. In the future, Tvasta will build the first 3D printed house in India within a year. Adithya VS, co-founder of Tvasta, said: "The 3D printing in the construction will mainly focus on the housing program for all under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and the construction of toilets for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. We work with stakeholders in the construction industry to make 3D printing viable. "