| Luyten 3d | |
| Industry: | Industry Robotics, 3D Printing |
| Founded: | 2020 |
| Founder: | Ahmed Mahil Godfrey Keung Michael Stanley Shaun Heap |
| Hq Location Country: | Melbourne, Australia |
| Website: | www.luyten3d.com |
Luyten 3d is an Australian, Melbourne based, robotics and 3D printers manufacturing company, that designs and manufactures AI mobile 3D printers and 3D printing mix for the building and construction industry.[1] [2] [3]
Luyten 3D was founded in 2020, by Ahmed Mahil, Godfrey Keung, Michael Stanley, and Shaun Heap.[4] [5]
In 2021 Luyten 3D developed the first mobile robotic gantry style 3D Concrete Printer in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, named the PLATYPUS.
In 2021, Luyten 3D, collaborated with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) designed and built the 3D-printed house called the ‘Heptapod’ in Melbourne, Australia.[6] This marked the first building code-compliant 3D-printed home in the Southern Hemisphere, with the structure requiring two days for printing and one additional day for assembly of the printed elements.[7] The printed elements gained sufficient strength after 5 hours, resulting in significant reductions in production time and up to 80% savings in labor costs.[8]
In 2022, Luyten 3D collaborated with UNSW to develop a 3D printer and 3D printing mix to print lunar accommodations on the moon as part of Project Meeka.[9] [10] The project aimed to address two critical challenges in lunar construction: materials and lightweight building tools. Led by architectural designer Brandon Nelson, the project proposed high-strength cylindrical structures specifically engineered to withstand the harsh lunar environment through extensive simulation testing.[11] Academic analysis has noted that while Luyten's approach proposes using platforms and printers similar to terrestrial ones, this is one of several proposed methods for lunar construction, with some researchers questioning whether Earth-like printing platforms are optimal for lunar conditions.[12] The project represented part of a broader trend of startup companies entering the space exploration sector, with Luyten adapting its terrestrial construction technology for lunar applications.
In 2023, Luyten 3D and UNSW received an Australian federal government $2.9 million CRC-P grant for the development of affordable and sustainable 3D printed housing.[13] [14] [15] [16] The collaboration included Hanson Construction Materials and focused specifically on developing 3D printed houses for remote Australian mining and other communities.
In 2023, Luyten 3D partnered with US based company Alquist 3D, to provide them with its proprietary 3D concrete mix Ultimatecrete, for the printing of houses in the United States and Canada.[17] [18]
Luyten 3D Printed the first Indigenous Housing Home in the world, located in Melbourne in partnership with Aboriginal Housing Corporation Ilpye Ilpye in 2023.[19] The project, located in the Northern Territory, was designed to withstand extreme climate conditions using Luyten's proprietary Ultimatecrete material. The company has set a goal to construct 30% of housing in Australia's regional areas using 3D printing technology by 2030.
In 2024, Luyten 3D demonstrated construction of a fully functional two storey house in 32 hours, using its Platypus X12 3D printer.[20] [21]
The PLATYPUS 1 is a mobile gantry-based 3D printer designed for medium-scale concrete printing applications. It features a flexible print volume of one meter in height and width, with a variable length determined by the user’s needs (denoted as N metres).[22]
The PLATYPUS X1 enhances the original design with an advanced wheel drive system for improved transportability. Equipped with laser sensors and a camera-based localization system, it utilizes AI-driven feedback control to accurately track and adjust the printer's trajectory during movement.[23]
The PLATYPUS X2 is an up-sized version of the original medium-scale concrete 3D printer, designed with a larger print volume of two meters in height and width, with an adjustable length of N meters.[24]
The PLATYPUS 4 is a large-scale concrete 3D printer with a print volume of four meters in height and four meters in width, designed specifically for constructing the walls of small, single-story residential units.[25] A variant of this model, with an expanded eight meter width, is specialized for printing slightly larger structures such as small townhouses or granny flats. Both versions offer the same structural integrity and material efficiency, while the variant provides additional flexibility for more spacious residential builds, making it well-suited for urban infill projects or modular housing developments.
The PLATYPUS X12 represents a significant advancement in the field of additive manufacturing for construction, specifically through its innovative use of a telescoping crane robotic system. This system integrates a vertical axis and two horizontal axes, with the first horizontal axis being telescopic and the second operating along a rail system on the ground. The design incorporates wheels at the base of the single-column crane printer, enabling autonomous mobility between print locations without external assistance, except when relocating to higher floors.[26] This unique configuration allows the machine to achieve a build volume of six meters in height, 12 meters in width and an unlimited length along the horizontal plane.[27] It is the first multi-story construction 3D printer deployed in the Southern Hemisphere.[28] The printer has demonstrated the ability to print two-bedroom houses in 22 hours.
In 2022, Luyten 3D introduced Ultimatecrete, a proprietary 3D printable concrete mix. Independently tested and certified by the National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA), Ultimatecrete reportedly achieves a compressive strength of 82.5 MPa after 28 days. This achievement positions it among the strongest 3D printable concrete mixtures globally, and it is recognized as the first such mix developed and commercially available in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.[29]
n 2024, Luyten 3D expanded its Ultimatecrete product line with the introduction of Ultra-Eco, a 3D printable concrete mixture designed with sustainability in mind. This new formulation incorporates recycled cementitious materials and achieves over 40% reduction in CO2 emissions through reduced cement usage, contributing to a reduction in the environmental impact of 3D concrete printing.[30] [31]
Luyten 3D utilizes and offers a proprietary slicing software, Phoenix, designed to complement its 3D printers. Phoenix enables the loading and preparation of 3D designs for printing on Luyten's construction printers, facilitating the seamless transition from digital model to physical structure. This software plays a crucial role in analysing the structural integrity of printed elements using Luyten's Phased Array Process Tomography System, providing valuable insights into the quality and performance of the printed components.
Luyten has identified several key advantages of 3D printing in construction compared to traditional methods:[32]
The company also emphasizes the importance of responsible technology deployment, particularly regarding safety and regulation. Luyten maintains that 3D printing construction should not be marketed as a universal solution to housing crises without proper consideration of local building codes, safety regulations, and technical infrastructure. They advocate for partnerships and guidance in regions without established construction regulatory frameworks to ensure safe implementation and maintain public confidence in the technology.