This Chennai startup can 3D print your house

Anupam Thareja, Co-Founder of Classic Legends (known for Jawa, Yezdi, and BSA Motorcycles) amplified a video showcasing the work done by Tvasta.

Hyderabad: Tvasta, a startup founded by three IIT-Madras alumni, is a change-maker. It chose technology to infuse some acceleration into the construction segment. Instead of building a house, the company chose to 3D print it. And it is successful too and is rearing to forge partnerships and expand domestically and overseas.

Anupam Thareja, Co-Founder of Classic Legends (known for Jawa, Yezdi, and BSA Motorcycles) amplified a video showcasing the work done by Tvasta. He lauded the efforts of Tvasta founders Adithya, Vidyashankar and Parivarthan. The startup developed printers that use cement, sand and other building materials to `print’ houses as per design. In doing so, it is able to cut the construction time from nearly five months to under three weeks. So far, it has completed eight projects and another three will be done soon. Ten more projects are in the pipeline.

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Tvasta founders initially established the 3D Printing Club of IIT Madras in Centre For Innovation (CFI). The focus was to build innovative products using 3D Printing and to spread awareness about this technology, also known as additive technology. Their final year project led them to see Tvasta as a company that had the capabilities to deliver industrial 3D printing solutions. The startup now has 60 members comprising engineers and researchers working on machine design, software development, electrical engineering and material science among others.

“We are pioneering a technology that will reduce the wastage of the construction materials. Our focus is on optimum use of cement, which is one of the major carbon contributors. Research is happening on several fronts. We have printers for onsite and offsite projects,” said Tushar Joshi, Marketing Head at Tvasta.

In the offsite printing, designs are done, printed and stacked. In the onsite part, it can handle structure from 9m to 12 m high including a G 2 villa. The onsite printing will allow custom sizes, he said. The company likes to work with the locally available cement, sand and other materials.
“Concrete is extrudable. We add some additives to reduce the need for curing. The effort is to make construction more sustainable. We are trying to reduce the cement use,” he said.

 

Costs? “Our technology is not available on the commercial scale yet. We do not have cost estimates per sqft of printing yet. We depend on volumetric analysis. Currently, 3D printing of houses is a premium technology and as such cannot be compared with conventional construction costs. However, when it comes to time taken, a 3D printed house can be done in about three weeks compared to five months normally needed. Our focus is to make all structures net zero,” he said.

Use cases? 3D printing can find a use in infrastructure works, bridges, culverts, bus stops, multi-storeyed projects and several Government initiatives. There is no compromise in quality and durability. Safety tests are being done in multiple climate conditions and seismic zones,” said Joshi.

The company has developed multiple printers including one with a robotic arm. It will look to expand through the franchise route.