Built in 43 days: India’s first 3D-printed post office inaugurated in Bengaluru

India's first 3D-printed post office, which is located in Bengaluru's Cambridge Layout, was dedicated to the country on Friday by Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The post office was finished in just 43 days, two days ahead of schedule, and was practically opened by the Union minister from the General Post Office building. Under the direction of Professor Manu Santhanam, Building Technology and Construction Management Division, Department of Civil Engineering, it was built by Larsen & Toubro Limited using technology from IIT Madras.

Bengaluru consistently provides a fresh vision of India. The modern India is reflected in the fresh image you saw today of the 3D-printed post office building. That is the attitude in which our nation is moving forward at the moment, according to minister Vaishnaw.

A total of 1,021 square feet are built up at the post office. It was built using 3D concrete printing, a fully automated building construction technique in which a robotic printer deposits the concrete in layers in accordance with the approved design. Special grade concrete is used to ensure strong bonding between the layers in order to print the structure, and this concrete hardens quickly. According to George Abraham, chief of operations for L&T's south and east region, "We were able to complete the entire construction activity in a period of 43 days as compared to about 6-8 months taken by conventional method because of the robotic intervention that involves pre-embedded designs."

Additionally, the construction was done for Rs. 23 lakh, which is about 30–40% less expensive than using traditional methods.

Prof. Santhanam elaborated on the essential requirements for 3D printing concrete, saying, "The research largely utilises indigenous machinery and robots, but needs to be scaled up in the future days. The particular concrete substance employed for this project has mechanical qualities and is pumpable, extrudable, and buildable.

Several talks were held between IIT Madras and L&T prior to the post office's construction. The principal advisor who oversaw the comparison of the proposed 3D-printed technology with conventional building was Prof. Ravindra Gettu from IIT-M. He also evaluated L&T's thorough techno-commercial plan.

Professors Meher Prasad and Pradeep Pratapa, two other IIT-M participants, oversaw the evaluation of structural and material design, construction process and timeline, and acceptance of design and construction concepts. According to Santhanam, Gettu also made six site visits to evaluate the quality there and offer advice on curing and other technical issues.

Santhanam further emphasised the lack of vertical joints and continuous printing of the whole perimeter of the project. The 3-D printing technology, which was actually imported from Denmark for the post office project, was also adaptable to the site's size and could integrate curved surfaces without being constrained by plane walls. The technology also made it possible to build walls with three layers, the centre of which was reinforced concrete, and continuous reinforced concrete footings. With less material waste than traditional construction techniques, the overall construction schedule was slashed to just 43 days.

The developers claim that the USP of 3D printing is to allow for individual customization of the structure, which can be crucial in housing-related building. For more effective construction, 3D printing also makes it possible to incorporate utilities and weatherproofing into the walls. This makes it possible to deliver high-quality homes everywhere, even in challenging terrain.

The main objective, according to Rajendra Kumar, Chief Postmaster General of the Karnataka Circle, is to use 3D printing in the housing industry. We are primarily interested in employing 3D printing technology to create post offices at a reasonable cost. Our second interest in low-cost housing, we believe that this is the technology of the future that might spark that interest. In 400 unoccupied locations across the state where postal services are not available, post offices are planned to be built. However, it won't begin until a thorough report on the first 3D-printed post office is submitted, according to Kumar.