Sika Leads the Way in 3D Concrete Printing Technology: High Speed and High Quality Have Become Reality

Automated technologies such as 3-D printing, extrusion, the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality will revolutionize the construction industry - in particular 3-D printing technology is considered a driver for a paradigm shift in concrete industrialization. That means that digitalization in construction industry is imminent: Faster, more efficient, and more sustainable processes will determine the work on construction sites throughout the world.

Frank Hoefflin, Sika Chief Technology Officer
“With a clear focus on 3-D printing technology and with the required know how in-house, Sika is perfectly positioned to lead the field in the digitalization and further industrialization of concrete construction”.

Sika has been involved from the onset in this technology, working in close cooperation with leading universities and other key industrial players. With Sika solutions 3-D concrete printing has become reality.

In 2016 Sika built a dedicated 3-D center for automated building construction. The ongoing activities concentrate on the first industrial implementations of 3-D, as well as creating an unrivalled freedom of design in collaboration with architects.

In this developing technology Sika has a unique position because it is the only company supplying all of the required building blocks for cementitious printing. This includes:

• Robotics from Sika’s Automotive Engineering Center
• Automation with Sika’s Pulsment process control
• Extrusion performed by the Sika MiniShot system
• Sika 3-D mortars
• Setting on demand with Sika accelerator
• Sika fiber technology for stability and fire resistance
• Concrete technology and mix design with Sika® ViscoCrete®
• Formulation expertise from Sika’s concrete admixture specialist team

This level of progress is quickly turning industrial 3-D printing into a billion dollar industry. Sika solutions for concrete 3-D are helping to increase productivity in construction. 

About Sika 

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping reinforcing, and protection in the building sector and the motor vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in more than 90 countries around the world and manufactures in over 160 factories.