US-based industrial concrete contractor Pikus Concrete teams up with Sika to commercialize it first concrete 3D printer. Sika is a specialty chemicals company that develops products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry.
In the construction industry especially, Sika’s expertise ranges from robotics, process control system, and extruding system, to concrete technology and mix design and formulation of 3D mortars to allow for precise control of how the concrete behaves.
Both companies met when Pikus undertook its European tour, and decided to work together after Rob Pikus, owner of the Pikus Concrete, saw a live demonstration of Sika’s technology.
The company’s know-how in digitalization and industrialization of concrete construction has been leveraged for the development of Pikus Concrete’ construction 3D printer.
Thanks to Sika’s input, both teams have developed a technology with increased speed, that does no longer require building and dismantling of formwork.
“We will be able to print our structural elements before a job even starts and ship them to the site when needed. Depending on the complexity of the structural element, this could save months of construction time and a lot of costs on a larger project. Right now, we have invested over USD 3 million in this project. This includes a new building to accommodate the large 3D printer, the actual printer and the labor to get the process started.” Pikus intends to invest heavily in the coming years to reach their goal of 20 printers around the US by mid-2024. “, says Rob Pikus.
The strategy of Pikus is now to define areas where 3D printing will be most beneficial to the industry. According to Pikus, there is a huge opportunity in printing items that are difficult or very expensive to form. This will help bridge the gap between architectural and structural elements.
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