About the author  ⁄ Clay J. Naito, Ph.D, P.E., F.PCI

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly developing technology that is already transforming many sectors and has the potential to usher in a new paradigm. The automated production of structures is one of the potentially most impactful applications of AM, also called “3D printing.” A group of engineers and architects at Lehigh University investigated a technique called “Particle bed 3D printing by selective binder activation” to manufacture objects made of concrete. Their interests started with structural engineering and progressively expanded to include environmental impact, architecture, and topology optimization. The team also partnered with Buzzi Unicem USA Inc., an international cement producer headquartered in the Lehigh Valley (PA). Together, they are collaborating with the National Museum of Industrial History, located in the former seat of Bethlehem Steel, Pennsylvania, to showcase this technique and its potential through an exhibit. The exhibit is an opportunity to reflect on the past, present, and future of cement in Eastern Pennsylvania. This area historically has had a high density of companies in the cement sector. The PA Department of Community and Economic Development supported part of this research. Figure 1 shows a 3D printed totem, two freestanding columns and one portal frame, which are part of the exhibit. 

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