CEMEX Ventures, the corporate venture capital and open innovation unit of Mexican construction giant CEMEX, is investing in COBOD, a global leader in construction-grade 3D printers. This investment is part of CEMEX´s strategy to deliver a superior customer experience enabled by digital technologies.
CEMEX and COBOD have been working together over the last year to innovate in the 3D printing space. Through this partnership, they recently introduced a 3D printing solution that utilizes conventional ready-mix concrete in the building process. The solution can deliver significant savings versus traditional 3D printing construction methods and has been implemented in several geographies. Through this investment, CEMEX will strengthen its ability to use 3D printing technology and add another avenue to address affordable housing needs. CEMEX and COBOD also intend to develop additional innovative material solutions for 3D printing applications.
Current 3D printing construction methods rely on highly specialized and expensive mortars. CEMEX introduced a proprietary admixtures family called D.fab, which allows conventional concrete to be efficiently tailored for 3D printing construction. This admixtures innovation produces a more fluid and malleable concrete that facilitates 3D printing applications. COBOD’s printers and expertise, in combination with the admixtures, make it possible for the concrete to gain shape instantaneously.
“The investment in COBOD reflects our customer-centric mindset and relentless focus on continuous innovation and improvement. Working with COBOD, CEMEX developed a customer experience in 3D printing construction that is superior to anything that has been provided in the past,” said Gonzalo Galindo, Head of CEMEX Ventures. “Our innovation efforts position us at the forefront of new technologies that contribute to building a better future.”
“I am proud to have CEMEX, a global leader in the building materials industry, join us as an investor along with our other shareholders PERI and GE Renewable Energy. CEMEX is already an important partner to us. Together, we have already improved 3D construction printing tremendously with the successful D.Fab solution and we intend to continue to develop new, innovative materials to build a better future through material solutions for 3D printing applications that significantly reduce construction costs and time”, said Henrik-Lund Nielsen, Founder & General Manager of COBOD.
