Our first Workshop 3D Printing Underground took place on 27.09.2022.

After presenting the state of the art by Thomas Hirschi (Department Director Concrete and Waterproofing at SIKA) and Veronika Petschen (Managing Director of SCAUT), the main questions of the workshop were:

- What kind of elements in underground construction could be 3D printed of concrete?

- What is the potential for 100% 3D printed elements?

- Which use cases would be interesting for using 3D print as lost formwork or for the combination with other technologies?

- Is it possible to add openings, fixings, anchors, or other elements?

- Sustainability issues around 3D printed elements (material, fabrication, logistics, …)

- Are the new materials for 3D printing that would replace concrete, or new components for this specific sort of concrete production?

Beside the host SIKA AG, the representants of the companies Implenia, ACO, Müller-Steinag and Amberg Group participated in the workshop. After discussing the general questions about the application of 3D Printing, we analysed the possible use cases that could occur in underground construction by clearing up the advantages and disadvantages of the use of 3D printing compared to conventional methods. We successfully defined the best ranked use case and outlined the next steps.

We are very grateful for Sika for the hospitality and for the participants for their contribution!