Amazing Robotically Fabricated Mesh Revolutionizes How Concrete is Formed and Reinforced

Since 2015, Gramazio Kohler Research has been in the process of developing "Mesh Mould Metal," a project that studies the unification of concrete reinforcement and formwork into a single, robotically fabricated material system. The project is based on their first phase of research, Mesh Mould, which spanned from 2012 to 2014, and developed a robotic extrusion process for a polymer mesh.

Now, as a second phase, Mesh Mould Metal “focuses on the translation of the structurally weak polymer-based extrusion process into a fully load-bearing construction system” by replicating the process in metal. Specifically, the current research delves into the development of "a fully automated bending and welding process for meshes fabricated from 3-millimeter steel wire."

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According to Gramazio Kohler, central to the original research for Mesh Mould was the fact that standard robotic extrusion processes have a low loadbearing capacity, but a "high capacity for precise spatial coordination." Therefore, "an optimal use of the machine requires construction processes with minimal mass transfer and a high degree of geometric definition," they explain.

Courtesy of Gramazio Kohler Research

For the switch to a stronger metal mesh with real-world structural applications, Gramazio Kohler abandoned the standard extrusion machine used for the first stage of the research. Instead, alongside the Agile & Dexterous Robotics Lab of Professor Jonas Buchli, they developed a specialized robot capable of automatically bending and welding the metal.

Learn more about the Mesh Mould Metal project here.

Credits: Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich
Research programme: NCCR Digital Fabrication
Collaborators: Norman Hack (project lead), Dr. Nitish Kumar, Kathrin Dörfler, Alexander Nikolas Walzer, Dr. Jaime Mata Falcon, Michael Lyrenmann, Lex Reiter, Dr. Tim Wangler, Philippe Fleischmann, Andreas Reusser
Selected experts: Agile & Dexterous Robotics Lab (Prof. Dr. Jonas Buchli), Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zurich
Physical Chemistry of Building Materials group: (Prof. Dr. Robert J. Flatt),
Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zurich
Concrete Structures and Bridge Design: (Prof. Dr. Walter Kaufmann)
Institute for Structural Engineering, ETH Zurich
Industry partner: Sika Technology AG, Switzerland

The project is developed within the NCCR Digital Fabrication, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

News via Gramazio Kohler Research.

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Cite: Sabrina Santos. "Amazing Robotically Fabricated Mesh Revolutionizes How Concrete is Formed and Reinforced" 02 Aug 2016. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/792079/amazing-robotically-fabricated-mesh-revolutionizes-how-concrete-is-formed-and-reinforced> ISSN 0719-8884

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