Polyuse Inc. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Directors: Takuya Iwamoto / Wataru Ooka; "Polyuse"), a developer of construction 3D printers, manufactured a civil engineering structure for public works with a 3D printer and carried out Japan's first actual construction of its kind as part of work contracted to Irimajiri Construction Co., Ltd. (Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture; Representative: Takashi Kubouchi; "Irimajiri Construction"), a company with a history of more than 115 years.
- Overview of the public works project and press briefing
As part of improvement work on the Nankoku-Aki Road of National Route 55, ordered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Polyuse and Irimajiri Construction carried out the construction of Japan's first civil engineering structure printed with a 3D printer.
*The Shikoku Figure-8 Network is a high-standard highway network with a total length of about 810 km, made up of the Shikoku Jukan Expressway, the Shikoku Odan Expressway, the Kochi Tobu Expressway and the Anan-Aki Expressway. It is called the "Shikoku Figure-8 Network" because it links the four prefectures of Shikoku in the shape of a figure eight. Its development is expected not only to secure emergency response and the transport of relief supplies during natural disasters, but also to revitalize the regional economy by expanding the visitor population and trade areas.
At the site tour held on February 25, the Tosa National Highway Office of MLIT's Shikoku Regional Development Bureau and Irimajiri Construction gave industry stakeholders and the press (Note 1) a technical explanation of the construction 3D printer and an overview of initiatives to address the labor shortage, which is accelerating in regional areas, and to improve disaster preparedness, followed by a live demonstration of the 3D printer.
(Note 1)
Kochi Shimbun: 3D printer used in public works for the first time in Japan, halving the construction period. Concrete structures for the Nankoku-Aki Road in Kochi Prefecture; a startup founded by a Kochi native brings new technology
https://www.kochinews.co.jp/article/detail/552216
Nikkei xTECH / Nikkei Construction: "Printing a permanent structure," a first for public works: 3D printers emerge as a way to boost productivity
https://xtech.nikkei.com/atcl/nxt/column/18/00107/00186/?P=2
Digicon: A first for public works in Japan! "Polyuse × Irimajiri Construction (Kochi Prefecture)" build a structure with a 3D printer [Site Tour Report]
https://digital-construction.jp/column/351?fbclid=IwAR0hVfDI_vkltCE4oYKfeyMxV0lysl4wy06ybVHOY3curopuWIQ-lbaeBto
- The current state of the construction industry and the background to 3D printer development
The construction industry is now on the verge of major change.
Behind this lies a serious labor shortage, in stark contrast to the growth in construction investment driven mainly by Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai and aging social infrastructure.
The labor shortage in the construction industry is an issue with major implications for the Japanese economy and infrastructure development, and the industry plays a vital role both in recovery work in the event of a disaster and in job creation.
However, according to materials published by MLIT, of the roughly 3.4 million skilled workers, about 1.1 million are increasingly likely to leave the workforce over the next 10 years due to aging and other factors, while few young people are entering the industry (those aged 29 and under make up only about 10% of the total)
Source: MLIT, "Current Status and Challenges of the Construction Industry"
Furthermore, the social infrastructure that supports the lives of people in Japan is aging rapidly.
Infrastructure is generally said to have a service life of about 50 years. MLIT has announced that infrastructure built from the period of rapid economic growth onward, starting with Shuto Expressway Route 1, built around the time of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, is aging rapidly, and that the proportion of facilities more than 50 years old is expected to rise at an accelerating pace over the next 20 years.
Accidents caused by aging social infrastructure have become a major social issue in recent years and, as exemplified by the ceiling panel collapse in the Sasago Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway in December 2012, can result in injuries or, in the worst cases, deaths.
As a result of inadequate repair and maintenance, damage worsens and danger increases, and infrastructure that can no longer be used has become a serious problem in municipalities across Japan, with many reported cases of road closures and traffic restrictions occurring on a daily basis.
To overcome this situation, in 2016 MLIT fully launched i-Construction, a new initiative that incorporates ICT to improve productivity in the construction industry.
As a result, technology development led mainly by construction companies is under way, and efforts to streamline and verify various processes in the construction industry are currently in progress.
Polyuse also believes that DX at actual construction sites is especially important for improving the industry's productivity, and is developing construction 3D printers as ICT construction machinery.
Going forward, we will create site environments where people can focus on productive, high-value work that only people can do, and, by handling the so-called 3K (kitsui, kiken, kitanai: demanding, dangerous and dirty) work with construction 3D printers, robots and heavy machinery, we will pursue construction in which people and technology coexist, advancing implementation together with the national government, local governments and the construction industry.
- The many benefits of 3D printer construction
Polyuse has always placed great importance on dialogue with its partner companies, working with them on the practical use of 3D printers and the verification of their effectiveness while they share the construction sites they actually work on and the challenges they face.
It is true that many aspects of the benefits and potential of 3D printer construction, in public works and in the construction industry as a whole, remain uncertain at present. However, thanks to the positive attitude of Polyuse's partner companies, with Irimajiri Construction a leading example, the benefits are being verified and operations optimized one step at a time.
[Objectives of this initiative in Kochi Prefecture]
- Further optimizing 3D printer operations
- Making visible the expectations of regional construction companies for ICT construction machinery and the hurdles to its adoption
- Evaluating the actual improvement in construction productivity
- Discussing and reviewing the preparation procedures for the data, documents and other materials required for actual construction
- Establishing how to proceed with various post-construction inspections and performance evaluations
- Various comparative verifications against existing construction methods, etc.
Going forward, taking the installation environment into account, we will continue discussing and reviewing more optimal structural shapes, required strength, construction methods and other matters, including from perspectives unique to 3D printer construction.
- Comment from Director Okamoto, Tosa National Highway Office, Shikoku Regional Development Bureau, MLIT
This was the construction of a small structure, but I believe this technology will also help resolve the labor shortage in the future. There are still many challenges to overcome, but I hope we can work together to take it to the next level.
- Moving forward with our partner companies
■Comment from Mr. Kubouchi, Representative Director, Irimajiri Construction
The labor and workforce shortage is not a problem that can be solved easily, and improving productivity to adapt to new ways of working is also an important challenge. Putting new technologies and new initiatives into practice and learning to make full use of them is one solution.
Working with many different people and learning to make full use of a variety of new technologies and initiatives: each of those steps is progress toward the construction sites of the future.
■Comment from Mr. Ishikawa, Supervising Engineer, Irimajiri Construction
The shortage of workers and of the next generation of skilled workers is a pressing issue for the construction industry, and improving productivity and saving labor are unavoidable. To address the shortage of skilled workers, improving the image of the civil engineering industry is essential, and we decided to adopt this latest technology, which requires no formwork, because we believe it can play a part in that.
It is also highly effective in addressing the shortage of workers, as it is a technology that does not require skilled tradespeople.
In the near term, I hope it will be applied to small structures such as small retaining walls and curbs, and in the future to a wide range of structures such as bridge abutments and bridge piers, helping to address the shortage of workers. This project demonstrated that it delivers labor savings and higher productivity, and I look forward to the technology developing further. Let's create something new together again.
Mr. Ishikawa (Supervising Engineer) of Irimajiri Construction in a meeting with Ooka (Representative Director)
Group photo of Director Okamoto of the Tosa National Highway Office, Irimajiri Construction and Polyuse (masks were removed only while the photo was being taken)
Polyuse will continue to work with Irimajiri Construction and its other partner companies to take on the challenge of construction in which people and technology coexist, using construction 3D printers.
■About Polyuse Inc.
Company name: Polyuse Inc.
Location: 2F, 2-2-15 Hamamatsucho, Minato-ku, Tokyo (development base in Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
Representative Directors: Takuya Iwamoto / Wataru Ooka
Business: Planning, design, manufacturing and sales of hardware, software and services specialized for the construction industry, centered on construction 3D printers
Founded: June 2019
URL: https://polyuse.xyz/
X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/polyuse
[Inquiries regarding this release]
Polyuse Inc. Public Relations Department
URL: https://polyuse.xyz/contact/
Email: info@polyuse.xyz
.png&w=3840&q=75)
.png&w=3840&q=75)