The world’s first 3D printed balcony
The world’s first 3D printed balcony
Sapphire 3D printed balconies address skills shortage
Sapphire is once again pushing balcony production technology to the next level with the world’s first 3D printed balcony. Using a brand new material called Polyaprilfoolisium, Sapphire was able to ‘3D print’ a high quality residential balcony in just 1 hour 4 minutes. The specially formulated alloy material is printed layer by layer and joined under computer control to create a balcony with exceptional accuracy and speed.
Using a brand new material called Polyaprilfoolisium, Sapphire was able to ‘3D print’ a high quality residential balcony in just 1 hour 4 minutes
Commenting on this exciting industry breakthrough, Nick Haughton, Sapphire’s Head of Marketing, says: “3D printing is already being used on an industrial scale to print concrete houses and car parts, for example, so we thought why not balconies?”
Just like its standard Glide-On™ Cassette® balconies, Sapphire utilised super-quick, fully automated offsite manufacturing techniques to produce the 3D printed version. These methods save both factory time and labour and so help address the skills shortage in the construction sector. The high-speed 3D printing process also offers the potential to produce tailor-made products for customers with much shorter lead-times. And as a further benefit, it produces near-zero waste, making it a highly sustainable way to make balconies.
Summing up Sapphire’s ground breaking innovation, Nick Haughton says: “Using this innovative 3D printing process and material we could even produce balconies overnight in time for next day delivery just like a product you order from companies like Amazon. This technology is a clear demonstration of Sapphire’s pioneering spirit 3D printing looks set to become the next big thing in balconies!”
