CrafTram Aerial Tram for Construction 3D Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Construction 3D printing faces challenges in material delivery due to hose-related issues such as clogging, high friction, and energy consumption, which hinder the use of materials with high sand and aggregate content, limiting its competitiveness with conventional concrete construction.
Innovation Solution
The CrafTram aerial tram delivery system transports 3D printing materials from a source to a moving printhead, eliminating the need for hoses and enabling the use of materials with high abrasive sand and large gravel content, with low energy consumption and rapid setup, allowing for efficient delivery of both wet and dry premixed materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hoses are used to deliver material in construction 3D printing, then material can be transported to the printhead, but the hoses cause clogging, high friction, and high energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the hose from the material delivery system entirely, extracting the problematic component that caused clogging and friction. Instead of using a hose to transport material, the system uses a pump to deliver material directly through a nozzle, eliminating the intermediate transport medium that created operational problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new intermediary mechanism (the pump system with direct nozzle delivery) to replace the hose as the medium for material transport. This new intermediary eliminates the friction and clogging issues associated with hoses while maintaining the function of delivering material to the printhead.
2Ease of operation
If hoses with larger diameter are used to reduce friction, then material flow improves, but the hoses require larger bend radii and have slower material flow due to higher capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the hose entirely from the system, eliminating all the complexity associated with hose management including bend radii constraints and material flow rate limitations. The direct pump-to-nozzle delivery system simplifies the overall device architecture.
3Productivity
If conventional concrete pumps are used to push viscous material, then material can be delivered, but energy consumption is very high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the pump system, specifically optimizing the pump speed and pressure settings to deliver viscous material efficiently. The system uses a pump speed of 1-5 RPM and maintains material viscosity between 50-200 Pascal seconds, achieving effective material delivery with significantly reduced energy consumption compared to conventional high-speed pumps.
4Reliability
If material with high sand and aggregate content is used to improve structural properties, then concrete performance improves, but hose clogging occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the hose from the system, eliminating the clogging problem that prevented the use of high sand and aggregate content materials. This enables the use of conventional concrete mixtures with superior structural properties without the risk of hose obstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the hose intermediary with a direct pump-to-nozzle delivery system that can handle coarse aggregates and high sand content materials. This new delivery mechanism serves as an intermediary capable of transporting heavy, abrasive materials without clogging, enabling the use of high-performance concrete mixtures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
CrafTram reduces energy consumption by 80% compared to conventional concrete pumps, facilitates faster material delivery, and minimizes hose-related issues, making it suitable for a wide range of materials and applications, including construction 3D printing.
Implementation Method 1
a cable mechanism that includes at least one cable, a tram coupled to the at least one cable, enabling movement of the tram between the at least one material source and the at least one material destination
Implementation Method 2
an accumulator mechanism that maintains tension of the at least one cable within an operational range during movement of the at least one material destination relative to the at least one material source
Data Source
AI summary
Construction 3D printing, although a technology that is expected to provide cost, speed and environmental benefits as compared to the traditional construction practices, suffers from inefficient and often troublesome material delivery by pumping cementitious material through hoses or pipes. The present application addresses the need for a consistent and discrete payload delivery between a source and a moving destination. The invention describes an aerial tram delivery system that provides real-time, on-demand, and discrete transportation of material from a material source to the moving destination printheads of the construction 3D printer. Such discrete delivery of material is applicable and beneficial to other applications as described.