how technology is transforming the con-struction
industry in line with the show’s
2017 theme, “Imagine What’s Next.”
In addition to the pre-printed excava-tor,
show attendees saw a second excavator
printed live on the show floor.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE 2017 was
hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“We know our members look forward to
seeing the industry’s most innovative technol-ogies
at CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE each
show year and 2017 will not disappoint. We’re
thrilled to bring such a significant technolog-ical
and first-of-its-kind achievement like the
3-D printed excavator to the show; it will be a
platform to demonstrate how the latest inno-vations
and applied technologies are chang-ing
the future of construction industry,” said
John Rozum, IFPE show director.
The excavator is a joint collaboration
between the Association of Equipment
Manufacturers (AEM), National Fluid Power
Association (NFPA), Center for Compact and
Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP), Oak Ridge
National Laboratory (ORNL) and the National
Science Foundation (NSF).
The group is working with research teams
from Georgia Tech and The University of
Minnesota to convert the current excava-tor
design to one that is conducive to and
takes full advantage of 3-D manufacturing.
Graduate engineering students at Georgia
Tech will be creating a boom and bucket fea-turing
integrated hydraulics with the goal
of decreasing the weight, materials cost and
maintenance, while students at the University
of Minnesota are designing a hydraulic oil res-ervoir/
heat exchanger and cooling system
that reduces the size and weight and increase
the efficiency of the machine.
“Technology and innovation will drive
change for the future of the construction in-dustry,
and we’re excited that students are
playing a vital role in bringing the newly de-signed
machine to life,” said Eric Lanke, chief
executive officer of NFPA.
NEWS FROM THE FIELD
The world’s first
functional 3-D printed
excavator
CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE 2017
teamed up to unveil the world’s first
fully functional 3-D printed construction
excavator and the first large-scale use of
steel in 3-D printing, known as additive
manufacturing.
The excavator was on display at the joint
trade shows in March and brought to life
• Trucking • Forestry
• Aggregate • Earthwork
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PHOTOS: CONEXPO-CON/AGG
Attendees look forward to seeing the industry’s most inno vative technologies at CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE
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