| Digital Fabrication of Concrete |
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| Shell Structure |
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| MSK has developed forming technology that allows the rapid cost-effective production of curved panels for buildings and other structures. Complex curved surfaces, including those with double curvature, can be formed directly and accurately from a digital file using the technology. The form produced is a rigid 3D surface, suitable for factory production of molded items such as precast concrete panels.
A curved structure is first digitally divided into manageable segments as defined by manufacturing and architectural considerations. Each segment file is then augmented to include all the engineering components and other elements necessary for manufacturing. From this enhanced digital file the MSK Technology produces the casting form and locates/places all the internal components. Either solid or sandwich panels can be produced, with variable thickness if required, and muti-directional post-tensioning can be used to reassemble the segments and reinforce the resultant structure.
Potential uses of panels produced with the system include shell structures, cladding panels and other complex 3D shapes that previously would have been too expensive to form and fabricate.
Unlike existing methods of forming, all form materials are reused and the form can be rapidly reconfigured for the next pour. Producing the forming surface directly from the computer, together with the reuse of form materials, allows the economic production of 'custom' panels with highly variable geometry. Typically, conventional methods of forming complex surfaces would require repetitive use of expensive custom-built forms to reduce costs to acceptable levels.
Materials that can be molded with the system include precast concrete, glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) and fiber reinforced plastic (FRP). Existing aspects of typical precast production, including embedded connections, use of blockouts, standard mixes, good quality of surface finish, and added heat for product curing are compatible with the system.
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| Shell Segment |
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| Shell Structures Segmented |
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