Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Svelte (Efficient manufacturing technology for complex architecture)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-01-01 al 2023-06-30
Context
Today, buildings use significant more concrete than structurally needed. This is due to a technological limitation that makes using efficient designs - based mostly on complex shapes, too expensive. Therefore, the common building methods rely on square shapes with planar surfaces, such as regular flat walls and floors. By using this traditional approach much of the materials used for the building are in excess. As the world is going through the largest wave of urbanization in history and key resources in the construction are rapidly depleted, the building sector must evolve towards implementing solutions that improve the material consumption efficiency.
The challenge:
->Buildings often require significantly more material than is structurally necessary.
->Construction sand will be depleted in the next 30 to 40 years.
->Construction sector emits 36% of the world's CO2.
Running a load analysis on construction structures shows that a significant volume of concrete in traditional buildings does not fulfil a structural. This dead-weight can be safely removed and replaced with more sustainable materials by using complex geometry to generate strength.
The limitation is that the resulting surface to be replaced has an irregular and unique shape and today there is no way today in which to efficiently produce the moulds for these complex surfaces in large volume, affordably and at speed.
The Svelte solution and its impact
->A new tool to improve the weight-to-strength ratio of buildings.
->Use no more concrete than structurally needed - up to 50% less.
->Reduce the emissions by using less materials and inherently less energy & transportation.
Svelte developed fully in-house a machine-system working on an innovative technology dedicated to generating double-curved moulds more efficiently than current solutions.
The Svelte solution by-passes CNCs and recreates any double-curved surface, no matter how complex, at constant speed, with a high degree of accuracy (=/- 0.6mm) in a single operation that reduces the production time of a 1x1m surface from 5-10 hours to 8 minutes.
As a result of its high-speed process, the solution holds enormous impact as it can produce double-curved moulds 60x faster and 50% cheaper than existing solutions. The moulds can be used for generating affordable architectural panels and precast concrete elements in the construction industry, but also for other industries with a high usage of complex shapes such as curved glass, shipbuilding, and the production of blades for onshore/offshore wind turbines.
Most importantly, Svelte is a key enabler for a more sustainable construction sector by using topology optimization to reduce the usage of materials in traditional construction. Walls, floors and supporting beams can be optimized to use less concrete by integrating Svelte produced shapes, adding up to 50% savings in construction materials while providing the same or improved structural properties.
EIC project objectives: ecology through optimization in construction
Within the EIC Accelerator grant project, Svelte completed the optimization of its machine-system and built its first industrial prototype ready to be scaled to start commercialization under a FIAB model. Within the scope of the project, Svelte’s innovative solution has been tested with real market stakeholders and future customers across 4 pilots in different fields of application. This enabled us to draw conclusions and act on how to better our production processes to meet real market requirements.
Furthermore, we invested part of the grant into ensuring its solution is ISO & CE Certified, and the technology is protected through two more patents, so Svelte’s innovative assets are prepared for future exploitation.
Today, buildings use significant more concrete than structurally needed. This is due to a technological limitation that makes using efficient designs - based mostly on complex shapes, too expensive. Therefore, the common building methods rely on square shapes with planar surfaces, such as regular flat walls and floors. By using this traditional approach much of the materials used for the building are in excess. As the world is going through the largest wave of urbanization in history and key resources in the construction are rapidly depleted, the building sector must evolve towards implementing solutions that improve the material consumption efficiency.
The challenge:
->Buildings often require significantly more material than is structurally necessary.
->Construction sand will be depleted in the next 30 to 40 years.
->Construction sector emits 36% of the world's CO2.
Running a load analysis on construction structures shows that a significant volume of concrete in traditional buildings does not fulfil a structural. This dead-weight can be safely removed and replaced with more sustainable materials by using complex geometry to generate strength.
The limitation is that the resulting surface to be replaced has an irregular and unique shape and today there is no way today in which to efficiently produce the moulds for these complex surfaces in large volume, affordably and at speed.
The Svelte solution and its impact
->A new tool to improve the weight-to-strength ratio of buildings.
->Use no more concrete than structurally needed - up to 50% less.
->Reduce the emissions by using less materials and inherently less energy & transportation.
Svelte developed fully in-house a machine-system working on an innovative technology dedicated to generating double-curved moulds more efficiently than current solutions.
The Svelte solution by-passes CNCs and recreates any double-curved surface, no matter how complex, at constant speed, with a high degree of accuracy (=/- 0.6mm) in a single operation that reduces the production time of a 1x1m surface from 5-10 hours to 8 minutes.
As a result of its high-speed process, the solution holds enormous impact as it can produce double-curved moulds 60x faster and 50% cheaper than existing solutions. The moulds can be used for generating affordable architectural panels and precast concrete elements in the construction industry, but also for other industries with a high usage of complex shapes such as curved glass, shipbuilding, and the production of blades for onshore/offshore wind turbines.
Most importantly, Svelte is a key enabler for a more sustainable construction sector by using topology optimization to reduce the usage of materials in traditional construction. Walls, floors and supporting beams can be optimized to use less concrete by integrating Svelte produced shapes, adding up to 50% savings in construction materials while providing the same or improved structural properties.
EIC project objectives: ecology through optimization in construction
Within the EIC Accelerator grant project, Svelte completed the optimization of its machine-system and built its first industrial prototype ready to be scaled to start commercialization under a FIAB model. Within the scope of the project, Svelte’s innovative solution has been tested with real market stakeholders and future customers across 4 pilots in different fields of application. This enabled us to draw conclusions and act on how to better our production processes to meet real market requirements.
Furthermore, we invested part of the grant into ensuring its solution is ISO & CE Certified, and the technology is protected through two more patents, so Svelte’s innovative assets are prepared for future exploitation.
The scope of the Svelte EIC Accelerator grant project was to create, develop, test, and validate the first industrial prototype machine-system for producing double-curved surfaces at the push of a button, with speed and affordability in mind.
To deliver on its objectives, four Work Packages were devised covering all the needed activities:
WP1. Technological development of the Svelte solution towards TRL 8: developing the hardware, software, automation, electronics and materials related components of the Svelte machine-system.
WP2. Validation of the solution under four pilot projects with real market players and potential future customers to understand how the solution works in market conditions, collect feedback and improve the solution based on it. As a result highlight, we were commissioned to produce the moulds for Europe’s first curved beams which were used for a new railway bridge in Romania.
WP3. Certification and additional IP. Activities devised to ensure meeting regulatory requirements covering relevant legal frameworks needed to commercialize in the EU. We therefore obtained ISO Certifications and CE Marking. Additionally, to increase entry barriers and stay ahead of competition, we submitted two additional patent applications.
WP4. Management of the project and dissemination of the results. We put in place all the necessary measures and processes to ensure the successful execution of the project on schedule and on budget and participated in various competitions and fairs to promote the project, including representing EC’s leading innovators by participating to GITEX under the EU pavilion. A 6-months extension was submitted and approved following delays in the global supply chain of electronic components on the background of the Covid-19 crisis.
To deliver on its objectives, four Work Packages were devised covering all the needed activities:
WP1. Technological development of the Svelte solution towards TRL 8: developing the hardware, software, automation, electronics and materials related components of the Svelte machine-system.
WP2. Validation of the solution under four pilot projects with real market players and potential future customers to understand how the solution works in market conditions, collect feedback and improve the solution based on it. As a result highlight, we were commissioned to produce the moulds for Europe’s first curved beams which were used for a new railway bridge in Romania.
WP3. Certification and additional IP. Activities devised to ensure meeting regulatory requirements covering relevant legal frameworks needed to commercialize in the EU. We therefore obtained ISO Certifications and CE Marking. Additionally, to increase entry barriers and stay ahead of competition, we submitted two additional patent applications.
WP4. Management of the project and dissemination of the results. We put in place all the necessary measures and processes to ensure the successful execution of the project on schedule and on budget and participated in various competitions and fairs to promote the project, including representing EC’s leading innovators by participating to GITEX under the EU pavilion. A 6-months extension was submitted and approved following delays in the global supply chain of electronic components on the background of the Covid-19 crisis.
The Svelte solution development pursued in the frame of this EIC Accelerator grant represents a milestone on the road to establish the company within the construction market.
Finding a cost-efficient solution to create unique, freeform surfaces affordably and on an industrial scale has been the Holy Grail of architecture and a challenge for construction engineers worldwide.
Svelte has been created from the ground up to lead the next generation of construction methods with environmental responsibility and sustainability as priorities. Svelte serves both the traditional and the special buildings niche construction markets, radically impacting the ease at which they could produce unique designs, but also traditional designs at a fraction of the resources consumed today.
The Svelte AC1200 machine-system generates moulds for curved, complex surfaces at an industrial scale in a single automated operation, reducing production time from days to minutes which leads to a 65% cost cut per square metre.
To put this into perspective for the production of architectural façade panels, the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan used 16.150 unique curved panels. At peak production, 70 CNCs had an output of 70 panels/day. Only 2 Svelte machineries would have been enough to generate the surface required in the same timeframe.
In construction, Svelte facilitates the production of moulds for casting resource-efficient concrete elements such as floors, walls, beams and stairs that have been topologically optimised to use up to 40% less concrete, while preserving their aesthetic and structural properties.
Using the Svelte technology means getting two buildings for the price of one by almost halving sand, gravel, water, transportation and energy needs.
Finding a cost-efficient solution to create unique, freeform surfaces affordably and on an industrial scale has been the Holy Grail of architecture and a challenge for construction engineers worldwide.
Svelte has been created from the ground up to lead the next generation of construction methods with environmental responsibility and sustainability as priorities. Svelte serves both the traditional and the special buildings niche construction markets, radically impacting the ease at which they could produce unique designs, but also traditional designs at a fraction of the resources consumed today.
The Svelte AC1200 machine-system generates moulds for curved, complex surfaces at an industrial scale in a single automated operation, reducing production time from days to minutes which leads to a 65% cost cut per square metre.
To put this into perspective for the production of architectural façade panels, the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan used 16.150 unique curved panels. At peak production, 70 CNCs had an output of 70 panels/day. Only 2 Svelte machineries would have been enough to generate the surface required in the same timeframe.
In construction, Svelte facilitates the production of moulds for casting resource-efficient concrete elements such as floors, walls, beams and stairs that have been topologically optimised to use up to 40% less concrete, while preserving their aesthetic and structural properties.
Using the Svelte technology means getting two buildings for the price of one by almost halving sand, gravel, water, transportation and energy needs.