3D printing could be the future of construction in remote regions, including space, according to research underway at the University of NSW. Dr Kate Dunn from the School of Built Environment is investigating ways to combine materials endemic to site, including mud brick and hemp, with robotics and large-scale 3D printing.
Together with Associate Professor M. Hank Haeusler, Director of Computational Design (CoDe), and Master’s student Alex Tohidi, Dr Dunn will research the material processes and optimal design for building in remote areas, including in space, as part of a memorandum of understanding signed with Melbourne-based 3D printing firm, Luyten.
Transporting materials and machinery to site is one of the greatest obstacles to overcome for building in remote areas such as the moon.
“3D printing building components using site-specific materials is one way to circumvent this,” says Dr Dunn. “Computer scripts can direct the 3D printing of complex architectural structures made from materials, such as clay and soil, even regolith, a material found on the Moon’s surface.”
Work has already begun on the test site at Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station in western NSW to look at the impacts of introducing fibres such as hemp, straw and bamboo to optimise the material for construction. Using readily available, local materials eliminates the need for delivering concrete, gravel and other heavy materials to site.
At the same time, Luyten is developing a lightweight, compact 3D printer ideal for transportation that is capable of printing large scale structures able to deal with rough terrain.
“Australia’s perfectly suited to this. It’s hugely sustainable,” Dr Dunn says. “The biggest problem with those traditional processes is that they’re super labour-intensive. But if we can use technology to speed those processes up, it becomes a much more affordable and feasible means of building things in Australia and around the world.”
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The company is best known for its prestigious Penfolds brand
Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates admitted defeat in its effort to divest brands including Wolf Blass and Blossom Hill, moderating its annual earnings guidance amid weaker sales of its cheaper products.
Last year, Treasury outlined plans to offload its so-called commercial portfolio in a pivot toward costlier, higher-margin brands. As part of the move, it bought California’s Frank Family Vineyards in 2021 and Daou Vineyards in 2023 in deals worth US$1.31 billion combined.
On Thursday, Treasury told investors that it had failed to find a buyer for its budget brands.
“TWE has concluded that the offers received for these brands did not represent compelling value and therefore their retention is the best course of action,” Treasury said.
The company, which is best known for its prestigious Penfolds brand, said that demand for brands typically retailing for less than US$19 a bottle had fallen by 4.9% in the December-half. That includes the commercial portfolio, which comprises the company’s cheapest offerings.
As a result, Treasury expects so-called Ebits—earnings before interest, tax and other impacts including one-off items—for the full fiscal year of 780 million Australian dollars, or about US$489.8 million. That’s at the bottom end of its previously issued A$780 million-A$810 million guidance range.
Even so, Treasury on Thursday reported a A$220.9 million net profit for its fiscal first half, up 33% on year as the company continued to re-establish its Penfolds brand in China following that country’s removal of tariffs on Australian wine.
Revenue rose by 20% to A$1.57 billion, while profit increased 33% to A$239.6 million once material items and currency moves were stripped out.
The average analyst forecast had been for a net profit of A$242.1 million from revenue of A$1.57 billion, according to data compiled by Visible Alpha. Treasury reported first-half Ebits of A$391.4 million.
The board declared a dividend of 20 Australian cents a share, up from 17 cents a year earlier.
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.