In an effort to provide robust dwelling units to soldiers, the Army has inaugurated its first ever 3D-printed accommodation at Ahmedabad Cantonment.
Some such units are also functional in Ladakh and the coming months will see more such facilities coming all along the Line of Actual Control(LAC)facing China.
Giving details of the unique endeavour to boost operational readiness of the troops, defence ministry officials said here on Thursday the units in Ahmedabad were inaugurated on Wednesday. The houses were built in just 12 weeks.
The 3D printing technology uses complex software and a robotic unit that helps in creating a structure through multiple stages from a digital model.
The Indian Army inaugurated its first 3D-printed house dwelling unit (with ground-plus one configuration) for soldiers at Ahmedabad Cantonment, officials said. The dwelling unit has been constructed by the Military Engineering Services (MES) in collaboration with MiCoB Pvt Ltd incorporating the latest 3D rapid construction technology.
Construction work of the dwelling unit measuring 71 sqm with garage space was completed in just 12 weeks by utilising the 3D-printed foundation, walls and slabs, officials said.
The disaster-resilient structures comply with zone-3 earthquake specifications and green building norms. The 3-D printed houses are symbolic of the modern-day rapid construction efforts to cater for growing accommodation requirements of the armed forces personnel.
The technique utilises a concrete 3D printer that accepts a computerised three-dimensional design and fabricates a 3D structure in a layer-by-layer manner by extruding a specialised type of concrete specifically designed for the purpose. Ahmedabad-based Golden Katar Division of the Army has been instrumental in pursuing the project with manifold applications even in operations, the statement said.
The Army units have already dovetailed 3D printing technology in the construction of pre-casted permanent defences and overhead protection meant for operations. These structures are currently being validated over a period of one year and can be seen being incorporated in all terrains, the recent being in Ladakh.
Sources in November had said the Indian Army has envisioned the construction of “permanent defences” along the LAC in eastern Ladakh using cutting-edge 3D printing technology, a move that will save time and improve its defence preparedness.