Netherlands-based Aectual manufactures both indoor and outdoor furniture and architectural components. Using a Siemens PLC, a customised industrial extruder, an ABB robotic arm and an IRC5 controller, the company has actually created its own XL 3D printing system.
Concrete, bioplastics, terrazzo and reclaimed waste plastics are just some of the materials Aectual can print on. With a printing area of 500 square feet at its Amsterdam headquarters, it offers high-volume printing.
It creates fully customised and environmentally friendly flooring using 3D printing technology. The structures of the custom designs are made from recycled bioplastic and then recycled granite or marble is added. The technique, which is suitable for projects of various sizes, has already been used to create the custom flooring for Loft’s flagship shop in Tokyo, Japan.
Aectual used huge robots with six-axis movement to print while moving back and forth on rails to officially present their product during Dutch Design Week 2017. This allows them to manufacture the framework of the designs at heights of just a few centimetres, from small to huge proportions. As a result, the customer receives bespoke floors that express their story and their brand, while showcasing their personality. These floors will be used by tens of thousands of people in airports and other public places, with the aim of bringing personalised architecture to the masses.
The robotic arm on which the extruder is mounted is itself mounted on a track. The largest printing surfaces of the various printers available are 2x2x4 metres, 8x2x2 metres or 2x2x2 metres. The 3D printer has a material deposition rate of 1 to 15 kg per hour. According to Hans Vermeulen CEO aectual, the printer can operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, using an automated material feeding system.
The Aectual Community, which allows users to print their bespoke furniture designs, was introduced by Aectual in January 2021. For the BMW Welt trade fair in Munich in 2019, the company collaborated with the well-known Spanish architect Patricia Urquoila and printed her flooring ideas.
Aectual offers contemporary architectural and interior elements exquisitely crafted in 3D, such as floors with terrazzo artwork, accessories, wall panels, columns, facades, staircases, room dividers, planters and table screens, even entire buildings, which are made only from 100% recycled, renewable and sustainable materials.
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