Glass 3D Printing For Walls And Entire Buildings

New Russian Patent-Pending Glass 3D Printing Solution Makes Glass Walls and Buildings a Reality

Alec [www.3ders.org] | August 19. 2016

Over the past few months, Russia has been making quite a few 3D printing headlines – but mostly in the context of metal 3D printing for aerospace and nuclear applications. But Russian PhD candidates Anuar Kulmagambetov and Vladimir Bodyakin are moving into an entirely new direction with a remarkable patent application. With an eye on the construction industry, they are working on a 3D printing setup that can build durable walls and structures from glass, using a compact glass melting furnace as an extrusion unit. The researchers are currently looking to set up a pilot, and see significant cost-saving and environmentally-friendly opportunities.

3D Glass Printing Concept. "Most importantly, its ‘filament’ is the most eco-friendly, natural and widespread material in the world: silica sand. Combined with with sodium bicarbonate, dolomite, lime and other additives (depending on the application), it is very cheap and adaptable. But it doesn’t end there. Glass is also very resistant to decay, mold and humidity, requires very little maintenance and is quite energy-efficient to produce." Source: http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160819-new-russian-patent-pending-glass-3d-printing-solution-makes-glass-walls-and-buildings-a-reality.html

"This object was built by a new 3-D printer that can work with molten glass." Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/540926/3-d-printing-breaks-the-glass-barrier/

<more at http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160819-new-russian-patent-pending-glass-3d-printing-solution-makes-glass-walls-and-buildings-a-reality.html; related articles and links: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/540926/3-d-printing-breaks-the-glass-barrier/ (3-D Printing Breaks the Glass Barrier. Researchers have cracked the challenge of printing glass through a nozzle. September 3, 2015) and https://www.technologyreview.com/s/515501/redesigning-product-design/ (Redesigning Product Design. The Media Lab’s Neri Oxman, PhD ’10, wants designers not just to dream up new products but to change the way they’re made. June 18, 2013)>