3D Printing Technology Empowers UHPC Shaping: Unlocking the Smart Manufacturing Code of Complex Architecture

3D printing takes UHPC shapes from "achievable" to "more efficient," offering unlimited possibilities for architectural and artistic innovation. As a national high-tech enterprise, Qinglong Group has deeply integrated 3D printing technology with UHPC materials, creating multiple benchmark projects in commercial complexes, public art, and other fields, redefining the construction model for complex shapes.

#Precise Realization of Complex Shapes: Breaking Through Traditional Process Limitations 3D printing technology requires no traditional molds; shapes are built up layer by layer directly from 3D models, perfectly matching UHPC's high fluidity and high strength. In the Shanghai POP MART commercial space project, Qinglong used 3D printing to produce irregular UHPC components with a hollow-out rate exceeding 50% and a minimum curvature radius of 300mm, with shape accuracy controlled within ±2mm. Compared with traditional mold processes, the production cycle was shortened by 60%, greatly reducing the cost of realizing complex shapes.

#Improved Construction Efficiency: Enabling Modular Assembly 3D-printed UHPC components can be prefabricated in the factory and assembled on site, reducing wet work at the construction site. In a municipal landscape project, Qinglong's 3D-printed UHPC planters, benches, and other components took only about 200 minutes to print per piece, improving on-site installation efficiency by more than 3 times. Combined with BIM technology for component splitting and layout to ensure precise alignment in modular assembly, the Shanghai Astronomy Museum public art project achieved rapid installation of large hyperbolic components through this model.

#Dual Wins for Performance and Environmental Protection: Practicing Green Construction The 3D printing process achieves a material utilization rate of over 95%, greatly reducing construction waste. Qinglong's optimized 3D-printed UHPC mix incorporates recycled aggregates and eco-friendly admixtures, ensuring a compressive strength above 150MPa while reducing carbon emissions. In the technology development for China's first 3D-printed UHPC curved girder bridge, Qinglong participated in optimizing the fiber orientation process, increasing the flexural strength of printed components by 15%-25% compared with traditional casting, achieving dual improvements in structural safety and environmental benefits.

The combination of 3D printing and UHPC is an important direction for intelligent building manufacturing. With 58 patented technologies and an "industry-academia-research-application" innovation system, Qinglong continues to explore more possibilities for integrating the two, making the construction of complex shapes more efficient, more precise, and more environmentally friendly.