International News
REVOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENT : SELF-COOLING BUILDINGS
By Paul Hanaphy , 3DPrintingIndustry . com
Microscale 3D-printer-manufacturer , Microlight3D , has received EU backing to develop a new form of concrete that would enable the construction of ‘ self-cooling ’ buildings . Awarded as part of the EU ’ s Future and Emerging Technologies ( FET ) programme , the funding will be used to design a microstructured building material with unique temperature-regulating properties .
Set to be developed alongside five European universities , Microlight3D says that its novel cement has the potential to “ revolutionise the construction industry ,” by lowering the impact of urban metropolises on the environment .
“ By using microstructured concrete , buildings will be able to cool down naturally and thereby reduce the ‘ urban heat islands ’ that build up in cities during summer heatwaves ,” said Denis Barbier , CEO of Microlight3D . “ This structural building material , which can cool down by itself , will also reduce the energy consumption used for air conditioning and benefit the climate by lowering CO2 emissions ”.
MICROLIGHT3D ’ S ‘ 2PP ’ TECHNOLOGY Based in the French city of Grenoble , Microlight3D is a manufacturer of high-res , micro-scale 2D and 3D printers with micro-optics , robotics and electronics applications . The firm ’ s systems are based on its proprietary two-photon polymerization ( 2PP ) technology , which it spent 15 years developing at Grenoble Alpes University ( UGA ), and has now brought to market .
In effect , the company ’ s 2PP approach involves the use of sub-nanosecond laser pulses to create ultra-narrow voxels , which serve as a basis for 3D printing highly-detailed and complex nanostructures . Since launching its 2PP-enabled Altraspin and µ FAB-3D machines , Microlight3D has increasingly sought to build on the unique capabilities of its microsale technology , as well as its wider applications .
Back in 2019 , the company acquired Smart Force Technologies ( SFT ) in a move that was touted at the time , as enabling the integration of micro-scale 2D printing capabilities into its microfluidic 3D printers . In the past , the firm has also received EUR747 000 from EuroNanoMed to fund the R & D of its systems for wound-healing regenerative medicine applications .
Now , as part of the wider EU-backed Horizon 2020 program , Microlight3D has been tasked with applying its technology
Microlight3D
Denis Barbier and Philippe Paliard present the first microstructured concrete sample .
within the construction sector , to enable the production of a novel microstructured concrete , that it says could “ transform the capacity of buildings to cool down naturally ”.
COMBATING ‘ URBAN HEAT ISLANDS ’ In some of the world ’ s largest metropolitan areas , the combined heat energy produced by the people and transportation passing through , results in what ’ s referred to as an urban heat island or ‘ UBI .’ Thanks to the closely-packed buildings in these cities , as well as the ‘ waste heat ’ produced by the energy burned there , they ’ ve effectively turned into hot and sweaty places to live .
Research from the US Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) shows that people living in UBI-affected regions also suffer from worse water and air quality than those in rural areas , and that sprawling cityscapes are contributing to global warming and a rise in heat waves , necessitating the development of a new approach to building construction .
In an attempt to combat the impact of UBIs , the ‘ MIRACLE ’ research consortium , composed of Technische Universitat Darmstadt , Universidad Publica de Navarra , Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation , KU Leuven and Politecnico di Torino , have tasked Microlight3D with helping to 3D print high-res microstructures for concrete molding applications .
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I September 2021 13