Meanwhile, In Japan, Train Stations Are Being 3D-printed In An Afternoon

You've seen small 3D printed models, heard about 3D printers being used to make guns, and even read news about printed food, but a 3D printed train station? Where else could this be but Japan?

The West Japan Railway Group has reportedly turned to 3D printing to speedily construct a train station shelter at Hatsushima in the city of Arida, near Osaka, allowing it to be erected in about two and a half hours.

Images of the new station show a tiny hut-like structure rather than an imposing building, which in the UK would mean the stop was on a branch line used by few people and most likely earmarked for closure, but this is Japan.

According to Japan Today, Hatsushima, like many relatively rural stations in the region, had an aging wooden structure that was in need of replacement, and the 3D printed shack which has now taken its place is a similar size.

3D printed station concept for Hatsushima (© JR West) – click to enlarge

We understand the formwork, used to mold concrete sections, was the component actually 3D printed using mortar. These were then filled with concrete and steel reinforcement to create the four parts of the building and its foundations, which were transported to the site and assembled.

The rail company carried out construction work after the day's train services had finished, with the job taking about 180 minutes. This, it noted, is "considerably shorter" than it would take with conventional methods.

The Japan Times says the cost for constructing the building is estimated to be half that of using reinforced concrete, and the technique may be repeated when replacing other station buildings.

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It seems that Japan is not alone in this idea. 3D reinforced concrete printing, dubbed "Printfrastructure," was planned to be used by the tunnels contractor for the UK's HS2 high-speed rail line, if it ever gets built at all.

Techniques for 3D printing houses also already exist, although they don't yet seem to have caught on widely.

The European Space Agency showed off the first 3D metal component printed on the International Space Station (ISS) last year as an exploration of how this could be used to create parts by recycling junk.

The more familiar 3D printers using plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) saw a surge of popularity about ten years ago, when it seemed that world+dog was interested in buying a device, and even retailer Maplin Electronics (remember them?) was selling them from its stores.

However, despite another resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic, its popularity seems to have faded again, as printer maker HP acknowledged a couple of years back. So much for the fourth industrial revolution. Or was it the fifth? ®