CEMEX announced that it will bring the first construction-grade 3D concrete printing technology of its kind to Mexico. CEMEX plans to use the technology to deliver a superior experience to its customers through a novel construction method designed to bring significant cost and time savings.
“CEMEX is honored to introduce this pioneering technology in Mexico,” said Ricardo Naya, CEMEX President in Mexico. “We constantly seek to introduce new construction technologies and provide our customers with the opportunities to enhance and evolve their business. 3D printing with concrete has great potential to foster digital innovation in our industry, and we are glad to build on our partnership with COBOD, by making the solution available in Mexico.”
The printer is manufactured by COBOD, a global leader in 3D printing technology. CEMEX has a partnership with COBOD and has also invested in the company through CEMEX’s corporate venture capital and open innovation unit, CEMEX Ventures. Through this partnership, CEMEX and COBOD have been working together to innovate in the 3D printing space. In 2022, CEMEX and COBOD announced the first 3D printing solution that utilizes conventional ready-mix concrete in the building process.
The solution can deliver significant savings versus traditional 3D printing construction methods and materials and will now be available in Mexico. This printing method also uses significantly less materials than other 3D printing construction methods, aligned with CEMEX’s commitment to promoting a circular economy.Current 3D printing construction methods rely on highly specialized and expensive mortars. CEMEX introduced a family of proprietary admixtures called “D.fab”, which allows conventional concrete to be efficiently tailored for 3D printing construction. The innovations introduced by the CEMEX admixtures, coupled with COBOD’s printers and expertise, make it possible to implement a more efficient process that requires less material and utilizes any concrete.
The combination of COBOD’s technology and CEMEX’s D.fab solution has already been used successfully in multiple real-world applications from Japan and Malaysia in Asia over the Middle East and Africa to Europe, Canada and the US. In addition in June 2022, the Angola-based construction company Power2Build built the largest 3D printed real concrete building in Africa using this combination.
