Sep 28, 2016 | By Tess
There is little question that Dubai is coming up in the world as a city ripe with 3D printing innovations. Not only has the United Arab Emirates city unveiled the world’s very first 3D printed office building, but it has also devised an ambitious 3D Printing Strategy through which it will seek to further integrate 3D printing into construction, medical products, and consumer products. Most recently, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced that it has awarded Convrgnt Value Engineering with the contract to design and construct the UAE’s first building fully 3D printed onsite, as well as the first ever 3D printed laboratory. The upcoming projects will further reinforce Dubai’s growing prominence in the 3D printing world.
The 3D printed laboratory to be designed and built by Dubai-based Convrgnt Value Engineering will be the first of its kind in the world and will serve as part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park Research & Development Centre. Fittingly, the 3D printed laboratory will be used specifically to conduct research and further develop 3D printing and drone technologies.
“The future will depend on 3D printing technologies in all aspects of our life, starting from houses we live in, the streets we use, the cars we drive, the clothes we wear and the food we eat,” said Managing director and CEO of DEWA, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer (quoting the words of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president and prime minister of the UAE.
According to Convrgnt’s Vibin Paul, the 3D printed laboratory will be built onsite at the R&D centres’ desert location using a system of robotic arms. Of course, a number of challenges must be accounted for when 3D printing in-situ, especially in such an open environment, so these will have to be addressed and closely monitored during the printing process.
Dubai's first 3D printed office bulding
Once built, the 3D printed laboratory will house a number of different sub-labs, including the Electronics Lab, the Software Lab, the Mechanical Lab, and the Prototype Lab, along with an outdoor testing facility. There, researchers will be able to conduct extensive research on 3D printing technologies and drone technology in cooperation with DEWA’s relevant projects. This will include advancing drones’ photovoltaic panels in order to increase efficiency and reliance while simultaneously reducing cost.
According to a press release, Dubai’s Electricity and Water Authority has incorporated drones into a number of its projects over the last three years in order to help monitor the city’s electricity and water production, as well as its transmission and distribution systems.
As of now, there is no known date for when the 3D printing construction project will begin.
To see more unbelievable 3D printed construction projects, check out Our Top 27 3D printed housing and construction projects.
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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