The European project Impress (New Easy to Install and Manufacture PRE-Fabricated Modules Supported by a BIM based Integrated Design Process), active from June 2015 to May 2019, represented a significant opportunity for the development of the Delta WASP 3MT 3D printer, offering innovative applications in the field of architectural design.
The aim of the project was to investigate new constructive scenarios designed to advance quality standards in the construction sector, based on manufacturing processes with an unprecedented technological value. Impress has focused mainly on the definition of new manufacturing and installation processes for panels for cladding facades, with considerable advantages in terms of industrial production, thermophysical performance and process repeatability.
Among the objectives of the project it was fundamental to establish a dialogue between the latest technologies, simultaneously involving 3D scanning, reconfigurable molding and 3D printing to obtain high-performance panels intended for the reconstruction of existing facades or the definition of formal languages from the high aesthetic value.
WASP focused on the development of a 3D printer, Delta WASP 3MT, designed to offer productive advantages in the field of additive manufacturing with a reconfigurable extrusion set-up based on the needs of different sectors. In fact, thanks to the use of a wide range of materials, from technical polymers to clay-based mixtures, to cement mortars, it is possible to create functional objects with more articulated shapes within the large print volume.
This feature allows the printer in question to be considered among the most significant 3D technologies for the production of objects on an architectural scale. This progress was made possible thanks to the improvement of mechanics and electronics, guaranteeing precision and efficiency highly sought after in building practice.
WASP’s activity in relation to the Impress project was strongly based on the creation of molds or portions of molds for architectural-scale paneling systems, designed by the consortium of partners and destined for validation by manufacturers to ensure the real application.
Some of the most important fairs in which the Delta WASP 3MT 3D printer was promoted are listed below:
2016
Technology Hub Milan – June 2016
AM Show, Amsterdam – July 2016
Argillà, Faenza – August 2016
Maker Faire, Madrid – September 2016
Maker Faire, Rome – October 2016
Maker Faire, New York – October 2016
Maker Faire, Bilbao – October 2016
2017
Smart manufacturing for a smart city, Milan – April 2017
Vision, London – June 2017
Maker Faire, Barcelona – June 2017
Maker Faire, Bilbao – October 2017
CosmoCaixa, Barcelona – October 2017
Maker Faire, Santiago – October 2017
Milan Triennale – November 2017
2018
Technology Hub, Milan – March 2018
In3Dustry, Barcelona – October 2018