Putzmeister introduces KARLOS, a mobile construction 3D printer
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Putzmeister, a specialist in construction hardware, presented many innovations at the bauma trade fair in Munich. The German company is looking at construction 3D printing technology to address low productivity and the shortage of skilled workers, particularly by introducing the mobile and highly automated KARLOS 3D printer.
The image below shows a solid wall straight from the 3D printer: With KARLOS, concrete walls can be built quickly – without any conventional formwork and with classic standard concrete. KARLOS is a combination of a mobile pump for concrete and robot technology that allows for quick setup on the construction site.
This not only reduces the manual labor and safety hazards on the construction site, but also allows more efficient construction and saves time compared to conventional methods. Using standard concrete with a grain size maximum of 8 mm from ready-mix concrete factories can also be cost-effective.
Sustainability is taken into consideration. KARLOS is an electrically-powered machine that emits low emissions and allows for the use of CO2-reduced concrete formulas.
The digital consistency of the construction and design process is a major advantage of this technology. The components are extracted from the digital building models, and then translated into print layers. During this process, the print speed and path are defined by a variety of parameters (such as the opening time of the material or the load transfer of the product). This path planning then gets converted into a code that is read on the machine. KARLOS then prints out the building layer-by-layer, automatically processing the plans.
KARLOS Technical Data
Printing application for vertical walls in solid construction
Print width/print height: up to 30 cm/up to 6cm
Setup and dismantling times: approximately 60 minutes 60 min
Concrete up to 8mm maximum grain size
Printing speed : 10 cm/s
Printing range: 26m
Chassis: MB AROCS 3743 8×4/4 / 5750
Max total weight: 32t
Power supply: Electric 125A
Support width at full support 9.60 m