SINGAPORE RESEARCHERS 3D-PRINT A BATHROOM UNIT IN 12 HOURS

Bathrooms of
future homes in Singapore could be built more quickly, thanks to 3D printing.

Researchers from Nanyang
Technological University (NTU) have found a way to build prefabricated bathroom
units, without fittings such as pipes and the toilet bowl, within 12 hours
using a 3D printer.

The technology could shave off
nearly half the cost of prefabricating using concrete casting, which is
estimated to be S$6,000 to S$7,000 per unit, said the team’s principal
investigator Tan Ming Jen. The cost could be reduced further if production is
scaled up, Dr Tan told reporters on May 22.

Fly ash waste also forms part
of the special concrete mix used for the 3D-printed bathrooms, helping to
reduce their carbon footprint.

The structure is up to 30%
lighter, which helps to lower transport costs and wastage of materials.

The structure has met most
industrial requirements, such as for strength and robustness. It is undergoing
tests for fire resistance and toxicity emissions, for which the team is looking
to obtain approval in the next three months.

Although the researchers
eventually hope to roll out the technology for a housing project, they do not
have a timeline to commercialise the technology, which is protected by a
Technology Disclosure jointly-owned by NTU and its partner Sembcorp.

The project is part of a 10-year
collaboration between NTU and Sembcorp, which was inked when the NTU’s
Singapore Centre for 3D Printing was launched in December 2016.

Countries such as China have
used 3D printing for structures such as bridges, and Dr Tan said: “To the best
of our knowledge, we are the first (to 3D-print bathrooms).”

The team took slightly over
three years to develop the 3D-printed bathroom.

A challenge was “getting the
science right” – the team had to match the flow rate of the printer’s
nozzle to the time the material takes to harden, so that the structure does not
collapse during the printing process, said Dr Tan.

Another advantage of 3D
printing is that it allows concrete to be customised and surfaces to be curved,
said engineer Lie Liong Tjen, the team lead from Sembcorp Design and
Construction.

This will allow for more adventurous designs in future, said Dr Tan.https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/how-singapore-researchers-3d-printed-bathroom-unit-12-hours