Printed concrete could reduce build time from days to hours

United Utilities and tech innovator, ChangeMaker 3D are working with Manchester Metropolitan University and Scottish Water on a project to develop 3D printed concrete, Water Industry Printfrastructure.

In what it has claimed to be “a first for the water industry” United Utilities is hosting a hub where concrete assets for use in the sector are being printed “in a matter of hours compared to the several days it would take using traditional methods”. The technique, United Utilities claimed, is financially and environmentally efficient with carbon savings of around 50% achieved. The project is funded from the Ofwat Innovation Fund.

The hub, at Wigan Wastewater Treatment Works, is being used to demonstrate the benefits of this innovative process to other water companies, construction partners and other industries. Some of the items produced are being shared with Scottish Water for trialling on a project.

Equipment produced at the hub includes combined sewer overflow chambers. According to United Utilities, the printing process for a chamber is just over an hour, with a minimum of three hours to dry. This, United Utilities said, compares to two days needed using traditional methods.

The project is the culmination of three years of development and testing which began when ChangeMaker 3D took part in United Utilities’ award-winning Innovation Lab in 2021. In 2022 ChangeMaker produced a wastewater chamber for use at one of United Utilities' test facilities in Cheshire. Since then, both the printing process and finished products have undergone rigorous testing to prove their suitability for use.

United Utilities’ head of innovation, Kieran Brocklebank, said: “We are about to embark on our biggest ever capital investment programme and have tight deadlines to meet. Digital technologies such as 3D construction printing will play an important role in driving efficient construction and helping us meet our Net Zero goals for carbon.”