29/03/2018

At the 2018 INTERMAT Innovation Awards, Sika won the special “World of Concrete Europe” prize for its achievements in 3D printing for the construction industry. The prize was awarded at the INTERMAT international trade show for construction and infrastructure in Paris.

The INTERMAT jury was won over by SIKA’s ability to innovate and accommodate market expectations in terms of cost-effectiveness, design, operation, use, speed, security and environmental compatibility in the field of 3D concrete printing. This type of printing has turned design flexibility into a reality in architecture: dynamic curves and futuristic structures can be printed directly and efficiently from digital plans.

Highest-precision 3D concrete printing

The 3D concrete printing process developed by Sika makes it possible for customised concrete elements to be created in various forms and designs with maximum precision. At the heart of the process is the print extruder head, a patented high-performance tool developed by Sika that finishes the mortar through the addition of various admixes. The material solidifies within seconds and binds with the previous layer. With a print speed of 1 meter per second, objects can be produced up to a height of 10 meters.