NTU
3D-Printed bathroom
NTU Singapore develops technology that can 3D-print a bathroom unit within a day.
Assoc Prof Tan Ming Jen states that” 3D-printing a bathroom unit could help manufacturers halve their production time while lowering transport costs, carbon emissions, and materials wastage. Less space is required to create and store the same number of PBUs in land-scarce Singapore since conventional PBUs take about two weeks to be ready.
By printing on demand, companies can save on inventory and manpower costs, as they don’t have to hold as much stock, and their workers can be redeployed to do higher-level tasks. This approach improves the safety of the workplace since robots are doing the construction of the bathroom unit.
According to Sembcorp Design and Construction team lead, and Sembcorp Architects & Engineers Er Lie Liong Tjen, “3D printing technology allows concrete to be printed and customized. The complicated shape of a PBU and its walls can be developed and printed faster to satisfy the needs of individual customers, as no formwork or molds are required. In contrast, the conventional construction of PBUs with concrete or lightweight wall panels always limits the design possibilities. In addition, 3D printing can build curvilinear profiles rather than rectilinear forms.”