Rapid Fusion has used its ZEUS 3D robotic system to create intricate concrete pieces for the startup.
The complex moulds were used to create table legs for an exclusive Italian furniture manufacturer, taking a few days to make.
By using additive manufacturing – along with a built in CNC milling tool – the two companies were able to achieve precision quality whilst reducing expensive labour costs and, due to using recycled PET-G, enhance the sustainable performance of the project.
Additional trials are currently being completed to find out how many times the mould can be reused without any maintenance being required and there is genuine confidence that it can exceed 100 uses.
“We have proven with our partners at Nanoo that large-format robotic 3D printing offers a faster, more sustainable, and cost-effective solution to the challenges faced by traditional concrete mould production,” said Martin Wood, director of sales at Rapid Fusion.
Rapid Fusion is a few months away from officially releasing a second cell called ZEUS that will include the CNC milling tool and provides precision milling and post-processing of polymer 3D parts.
Mirko Scaburri, founder of Nanoo, said: “This is an interesting partnership that is working because we are playing to each other’s technical strengths in exploring how we can design and manufacture concrete moulds using large format 3D printing."
