3D printed construction is still going strong, with a variety of projects now using the emerging technology, including Walmart, housing, and even data centers. The latest example comes from Japan, where a new train station will be built in just six hours.
It should be noted that Hatsushima Station is not an ambitious multi-story building, but a small and simple building. It is jointly built by West Japan Railway Company, JRWest Innovations and Serendix and is located in Arita City, Wakayama Prefecture.
It has a height of 2.6 meters (8.6 feet), a width of 6.3 meters (20 feet) and a depth of 2.1 meters (6.10 feet). The building's exterior is white and decorated with the region's famous oranges and fish, while the interior is open and looks like some seating areas.
"It is made of reinforced concrete, which is durable and resistant to corrosion. In addition, compared with traditional prefabricated construction methods, it does not use formwork, so it has greater freedom of shape and more flexible design. The exterior design aims to create a station building that reflects local characteristics and is loved by local residents, contributing to regional coexistence," West Japan Railway said in a translated press release.
As mentioned earlier, according to West Japan Railway Company, the construction time for the day is expected to be approximately 6 hours, that is, between the last train of the day and the first train of the next day. So, how was it built so quickly?
The actual structure of the station will then be built in chunks elsewhere (presumably in a factory) using a standard 3D printer, which will extrude a cement-like mixture from a nozzle in layers to build the desired shape. These printed parts are then shipped to site and assembled using a crane when ready. This assembly process only takes a few hours. We don't yet know how long the printing process is expected to take.
If all goes well and the station turns out to be as affordable and maintenance-free as expected, West Japan Railway will likely expand the project to build more 3D-printed stations elsewhere in Japan to replace older wooden structures. The station will be ready by March 25th, so we won't have to wait too long to see the final results.