Continue on: 3-D printing -Contour Crafting (CC)

Continue on: 3-D printing -Contour Crafting (CC)

Automated tiling of floors and walls: Automated tiling of floors and walls can be done by robotically delivering and spreading the material for adhesion of tiles to floors or walls. robotic arm can then pick the tiles from a stack and accurately place them over the area treated with the adhesive material. These robotic arms may be installed on the same structure which moves the nozzle.

Because of its layer by layer fabrication method, a Contour Crafting based construction system has the potential to build utility conduits within walls. This makes automate construction of plumbing and electrical networks possible.

For plumbing, after fabrication of several wall layers, a segment of copper (or other material) pipe is attached through the pipe onto the lower segment already installed. The robotics system delivers the new pipe segment and in case of copper pipes has a heater element (shown in red) in the form of a ring. The inside (or outside) rim of each pipe segment is pretreated with a layer of solder. The heater ring heats the connection area, melts the material, and once the alignment is made, bonds the two pipe segments. (a Check system should be involved into the processing to make sure no leakage can be detected)

The needed components may be prearranged in a tray by the robotic assembly system. Using these components various plumbing networks may be automatically imbedded in the structure.