In news– L&T Construction has recently said it was constructing India’s first post office building using 3D printing technology in Bengaluru.
About the project-
- The project is to design and build the 1,000 square feet Halasuru Post Office using 3D Concrete Printing Technology within 45 days. The project scope involves structure, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing), and finishes.
- It costs around ₹23 lakh, approximately 30 to 40 per cent less than that needed to build a normal post office.
What is 3D printing?
- 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a method of creating a three dimensional object layer-by-layer using a computer created design.
- 3D printing is an additive process whereby layers of material are built up to create a 3D part.
- This is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing processes, where a final design is cut from a larger block of material.
- As a result, 3D printing creates less material wastage.
Types of 3D printing-
There are three broad types of 3D printing technology; sintering, melting, and stereolithography.
- Sintering is a technology where the material is heated, but not to the point of melting, to create high resolution items. Metal powder is used for direct metal laser sintering while thermoplastic powders are used for selective laser sintering.
- Melting methods of 3D printing include powder bed fusion, electron beam melting and direct energy deposition, these use lasers, electric arcs or electron beams to print objects by melting the materials together at high temperatures.
- Stereolithography utilises photopolymerization to create parts. This technology uses the correct light source to interact with the material in a selective manner to cure and solidify a cross section of the object in thin layers.
Source: Economic Times
