Japan 3D printing station: A new train station that was built in just 6 hours overnight
Japan is known worldwide for his advanced technology. From Bullet trains to intelligent machines, Japan always surprises the world with new inventions. The country recently achieved something unique – it built a train station in less than six hours using 3D printing technology. This is astonishing, especially if we believe that building a house usually takes months. But a train station was prepared in Japan overnight.
Let's talk about this project in detail.
The station we are talking about is Hatsushiba stationis in Arida City, Prefecture Wakayama, Japan. It is a small station where about 530 passengers travel every day. The original station was built in 1948 and made of wood. After many years of use, the structure had to be replaced by something modern and strong.
The task of building the new station was given to a construction company called Serendix. This company is known for the use of 3D printing technology in construction. They planned to produce the parts of the station in a factory and then bring them to the place for quick assembly. The factory was in the Prefecture of Kumamoto on the southwestern island of Kyushu.
Serendix used concrete to ensure the strength and durability of the 3D printed parts. The preparation of all parts in the factory took about seven days. On March 24th they were loaded onto trucks and almost 500 miles northeast to the Hatsushiba station.
Now comes the most interesting part – the actual construction.
The co -founder of Serendix said that the construction at train stations is difficult because the trains are operated with fixed schedules. Since the trains stop late in the evening, this is used for a short time for repair or construction work. Such projects usually take months to be completed because there are many safety rules and time restrictions.
But in this case everything was well planned. On the night of March 25, after the last train left Hatsushiba at 11:57 p.m., the construction team began to work. They immediately started to place and assemble the 3D printed parts. A brand new station building was finished in less than six hours until 5:45 a.m., shortly before the first train arrived.
The new building is about 100 square meters in size. While most of the work was completed during the night, a few small things, such as the setup of the ticket writer and the installation of the transport card reader, had to be completed later.
The West Japan Railway, the company that manages the train station, also said that a new building could be added in July to further improve the train station.
The Japan 3D printing station shows how quickly and efficiently modern construction with new technology can be. It is a perfect example of how the 3D printing can be used to create public structures quickly, safely, safe and lower. This project could change the way we think about the structure in the future.