Hyundai Engineering Develops Construction Technology for 'Irregular Architecture' Using Robots and 3D Printing... Patent Filed

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Hyundai Engineering has secured smart construction technology in the field of non-standard architecture and is taking the lead in the market.

On the 25th, Hyundai Engineering announced that it has developed technology using ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) as a material for the construction of non-standard architectural structures, utilizing rebar lamination 3D printing and robots for formwork production, and has filed related patents.

This technology development is the result of joint research between Hyundai Engineering and Sampyo to preemptively secure construction technology in the globally growing non-standard architecture sector. The architectural robot solution startup 'BAT' also participated in developing the program for robot operation.

Hyundai Engineering stated, "After more than two years of research since the start of development in 2018, we have achieved the acquisition of 3D printing construction technology for non-standard architectural structures based on the fusion of ultra-high-performance concrete and smart construction technology (robots and 3D printing)." They explained, "The main applied smart construction technologies include Korea's first 3D printed non-standard rebar production, robot-assisted Styrofoam (EPS) formwork production, and 3D scanning precision inspection."

Typical buildings are composed of repetitive straight forms, making formwork production and concrete pouring easier. In contrast, non-standard buildings with unique shapes include complex curved surfaces and streamlined forms, resulting in higher construction difficulty.

Key elements in constructing non-standard buildings are formwork installation and crack reinforcement methods. Existing construction methods involve individually processing rebar to fit non-standard shapes or using steel fibers to control concrete cracks, requiring special formwork production. These methods have issues such as corrosion caused by steel fiber exposure and quality degradation due to formwork.

The newly developed non-standard building construction technology uses metal 3D printing to laminate rebar in non-standard shapes according to the structure's form, and a 6-axis multi-joint robot cuts and mills EPS to produce formwork with minimal error. This allows for significantly reduced production time and highly precise construction with almost no errors.

Hyundai Engineering and Sampyo constructed a physical mock-up to verify the results of the technology development. They produced a test non-standard structure composed of various curves. After completing construction and inspecting with 3D scanning, the construction error was within ±2.5mm, demonstrating the technology's reliability.

A Hyundai Engineering official said, "We have secured the capability to produce high-strength non-standard buildings, which are expanding globally, by utilizing smart construction technology based on key technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution." He added, "We will expand the development and application of Hyundai Engineering's specialized products, such as non-standard high-strength PC exterior materials and specialized construction of apartment gateposts, using the developed technology."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.