STTR Phase II: Large Scale Freeform Fabrication for the Construction Industry

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This Small Business Technology Transfer ( STTR) Phase II project will develop and commercialize a novel way to construct large, modular objects, such as concrete walls and components used in building a home, using a solid freeform fabrication process. The novelty of the proposed process is that is is capable of producing structures with wall thicknesses which are thickner than other similar methods. The structures can have contoured faces and alignment guides to permit quick assembly of layerwise construction. The proposed research will focus on aerated concrete as the structural materiaol, having proven the basic concept on structural foam in the Phase I research. The method is expected to result in rapid construction of homes with minimal labor and onsight assembly of pre-fabricated components. The broader impacts of this project, if successful, would represent a radical departure in a notoriously conservative industry, leading to the construction of inexpensive, pre-fabricated homes. The technology will address a significant market in the U.S. and developing countries to provide affordable homes to a very large population of low-income consumers. Other applications where this technique could be employed include construction of large objects such as boat hulls (pleasurecraft).