Shikolovo is a team of 3D printing enthusiasts. The engineers of the innovative Russian company have developed Gaudi-Max, a multifunctional robot for the construction industry. Gaudi-Max prints with concrete and – according to the company – with many other materials. The aim is to print entire houses immediately ready for occupancy.
The 21st century is the age of digitalisation and automation. There is no area of human activity anymore that can do without IT and robots. The construction industry alone is lagging behind – this is due to its dependence on manual labour (human factor), and as a result, the lack of automation and digitalisation of processes leads to a slower pace of development in this industry. At the same time, however, it is precisely this lack of transparency and automation of the construction process, as well as the (high) prices for residential buildings, that are impulses for the development of new technologies.
From design to plastering
The Russian research and industrial company "Shikolovo" headed by the chief designer Igor Pokhudin develops and produces multifunctional robots (innovative platforms) for 3D printing in the construction industry for buildings with a volume of up to 1,000 m3.
The multifunctional robots (platforms), already equipped with the appropriate control software, are able to carry out the entire construction process and to complete houses on a turnkey basis, starting with the daring design and ending with plastering. Shikolovo considers this to be the unique selling point of its products for the construction industry.
The robot (platform) can include: a head for 3D printing with printing mixtures suitable for construction, an automatic knitting machine, a milling machine, a plastering nozzle, a gripper attachment and four to five axes; in addition, the robot (platform) can be equipped with a head for plastic welding, a head for printing with composite materials (photopolymers) and tools for automatic welding.
Thanks to its accuracy, the multifunctional robot (the platform) has functional possibilities that go beyond the limits of the usual construction processes. With the help of this equipment, unique architectural objects can be designed or even objects from the past can be restored.
The multifunctional robot (the platform) is not only applicable in residential building construction, but also in other fields. These include the printing of monolithic structures for disaster situations, the fortification of embankments, slopes and roads, the short-term rehabilitation of buildings of the state housing fund and – when using the mobile model "Shikolovo" – many other areas of application.
Using the "Shikolovo" models, production lines can already be created today, including lines for the production of modular buildings or prefabricated/large panel buildings, as well as lines for plastering and milling small architectural forms.
Partnerships worldwide
The "Shikolovo" team cares deeply about the environment; therefore, technological developments aim to minimise the amount of harmful waste.
In the development of the first series production of multifunctional 3D robots (platforms) for the construction industry, the research and industrial company "Shikolovo" is working with the Construction Department of the City of Moscow, with representatives from the Arabian Peninsula (Qatar, UAE, Bahrain), from the USA and from Mexico. The company is looking forward to working with other partners.
shikolovo.ru