NEW MATERIALS FOR CONSTRUCTION WITH 3D PRINTERS, COMPARATIVE STUDY

In the Building Engineering School, POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF MADRID we are studying new materials for the construction made by 3D printers, and we are going to see the importance of 3D printers in our educational experience. We will see the benefits of using this new ways of presenting projects.

As an example we will see a comparative study of materials, used in the production of the architectural objects made with 3D printers, is also presented. We will analyse the new technologies of 3D printers and their use in the construction of buildings. The printers in 3 Dimensions are the real technological revolution.

We propose a series of objectives to carry out this investigation. The main objective is to see why 3D printers are the key of our studies. We will study some examples of the uses of the 3D printers, in education. For instance, we will design a functional part, suitable for building construction in modules, to improve the features of existing bricks, and to provide all the advantages of new 3D printing technologies, in the field of building. Once the pieces are designed and printed, the laboratory tests are performed for both bricks and plastics, and the results are compared. The specific objectives, in order to design these pieces, are addressed to solve some problems.

Our methodology presents different ways of solving 3D printing problems, in education. There are different methods to avoid warping in our 3D printing parts, and there are as many solutions. It is a matter of finding the best one which suits our working method.

Our conclusions will be how different works in this area have been resolved, and why this is important in Building Engineering education.
For example, we can see that with this new execution system, we can print on-site every piece required at any time by using the new P.M.T.P designing methodology, (Printed Thermoplastic Modular Piece) and the importance of these methods in architectural education.
With this information we can propose a series of hypotheses based on the data used as the basis for initiating an investigation.