Our materials are designed to offer the same durability and longevity as traditional concrete, ensuring reliable performance over time.
Various colors are available by adding pigments to the mix by applying finishes such as stains or paint after printing.
Once cured, our material performs well in extreme cold or heat. During printing, temperatures must be between 5 and 40 degrees Celsius.
Individual layers can be as thin as 5 mm in height and 1 inch in width. For larger prints, these values can increase to 20 mm in height and 4 inches in width.
Our materials have undergone comprehensive testing and have been found to perform equivalently to traditional concrete in most important aspects, including structural applications, where they match the strength of concrete and brick.
Only 10% of our raw concrete is wasted (all of which is recycled), which is less than half of the industry average (20.4%) measured by volume. This also compares favourably to industry averages where concrete waste is typically the highest portion by weight among all materials at 37.4%
Our concrete waste is recycled in Etobicoke, located less than 15 km from our R&D facility. The waste is sorted and crushed for use in new construction projects.
Our materials have undergone third-party validation for several tests: Material PropertiesCSA A23.1-14: Concrete Materials and Methods of Concrete Construction: This standard outlines the requirements for concrete materials and construction methods. It defines the essential properties that the components of concrete must meet, as well as the standard practices to ensure the quality and durability of concrete in 3D constructions.CSA A23.2-18C: Water Content of Fresh Concrete: Specifies the method for determining the water content in fresh concrete, a critical factor in ensuring adequate workability and strength in 3D printing. Precision in water content is vital to avoid segregation or bleeding, maintaining the material’s consistency during the printing process.CSA A23.2-6C: Density of Fresh Concrete: This method measures the density of fresh concrete, which is crucial for assessing the homogeneity of the material before solidification. In 3D printing, adequate density ensures that the concrete will have the necessary structural properties once hardened.CSA A23.2-6A: Relative Density and Absorption of Fine Aggregates: Determines the relative density and absorption capacity of fine aggregates used in concrete. These parameters are essential for controlling water content and ensuring a uniform and durable concrete mix, especially important in 3D printing where precise mixing is critical.ASTM C666-97: Standard Test Method for Resistance of Concrete to Rapid Freezing and Thawing: This standard evaluates the durability of concrete subjected to rapid cycles of freezing and thawing. For 3D printing, this test ensures that printed structures can withstand adverse weather conditions without deteriorating, guaranteeing the longevity of the material.Structural PropertiesCSA A23.2-9C: Compressive Strength on Cylinders: Describes the procedure for measuring the compressive strength of concrete using molded cylinders. This test is fundamental for assessing the load-bearing capacity of printed structures, ensuring they meet structural design requirements.CSA A23.2-8C: Flexural Strength: This standard specifies the method for evaluating the flexural strength of concrete, a key property in 3D printing that affects the material's ability to withstand tension and deformation without breaking.CSA A23.2-13C: Pull-Out Strength: Provides the method for determining the tensile strength of concrete through pull-out tests. This is crucial for ensuring that connections and joints in printed structures have the necessary strength to withstand applied loads. Additionally, this test evaluates the tensile strength of rebar embedded in the concrete, ensuring that the reinforcement bars maintain their integrity and contribute effectively to the overall structural performance.CSA A23.2-15C: Evaluation of Concrete Strength in Place Using the Pullout Test: Specifies how to evaluate the strength of concrete directly in the finished structure using pull-out tests. This is important for verifying that the quality of the printed concrete meets the design requirements on-site, allowing for adjustments if necessary.CSA A23.2-14C: Obtaining and Testing Drilled Cores for Compressive Strength Testing: Describes the process for extracting and testing concrete cores from an existing structure to evaluate its compressive strength. In 3D printing, this test is essential for validating the quality of concrete in already printed structures, ensuring they meet design specifications.
We can provide a one-year warranty on a project-by-project basis.
We have extensive experience navigating complex project approvals and can assist in obtaining necessary permits, offering you a turnkey partnership to streamline the process.
Our technology can achieve a high level of precision, with prints reaching a resolution of up to 1 cm.
Our technology reduces waste significantly by eliminating the need for single-use wooden forms and minimizing raw concrete material waste to just 10%, which in turn gets recycled.
Our materials have been certifiedbased on rigorous testing for freeze-thaw cycles, thermal bridging issues, andother performance metrics relevant to cold climates and Canadian weatherconditions.
A 3M x 3M wall takes approximately1 hour and 30 minutes to print.
Most of our hardware and equipment, including the VAL 2.0 robot, are made in Ontario or North America. The robot OEM is Canadian-owned and developed by Horizon Legacy. Some components are sourced from Europe, but we aim to shorten our supply chain and promote construction robotics in Canada.
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