Democratizing 3D Printing On-Site with Ernest the Robot in Off-Site Mode

3D printing has become increasingly popular on construction sites, allowing firms to facilitate the construction process and decrease carbon footprint. It's a challenging exercise, due to the size of elements and the fact that they can't be reinforced, nor can the finishes be easily achieved. In order to democratize 3D printing, the decision was made to tackle the problem differently. The creation of 3D-parametric-printed formworks, urban furniture, or complex beam nodes/intersection is automated. This enables the reduction of production time and costs, as these elements can be produced in an infinite quantity and easily mounted on site. It also enables carbon footprint reduction by getting rid of wooden formworks and trucks for concrete pouring, and reducing the waste and time involved in creating those elements. The use of parametric elements to create these objects allows a full customization and replication. A deployment kit has been created for their subcontractors. Spie batignolles is becoming the first contractor-printer!