Robotic 3D Printing Enables Warehouse Expansion for Walmart in 7 Days

In just seven days earlier this winter, the 3D printed robotic assembly process for a new Walmart extension was completed in Huntsville, Alabama. The concept pilot, part of the second iteration of a project led by Alquist 3D, stands 16.5 feet tall with 5,000 square feet of space to be used as a logistical warehouse. The structure was realized in February, fully two weeks ahead of schedule.

That's also six weeks faster than the 45 days it took to print the first warehouse in Tennessee last fall. Such an effort required a crew of only five workers using a pair of RIC-M1 Pro construction robots—significantly less than the 25-30-person crews needed for a traditional CMU structure of its size. 

That's also six weeks faster than the 45 days it took to print the first warehouse in Tennessee last fall. Such an effort required a crew of only five workers using a pair of RIC-M1 Pro construction robots—significantly less than the 25-30-person crews needed for a traditional CMU structure of its size. 

When you consider the industry’s skilled labor shortage, that represents an advantage in terms of project delivery and is likewise a marked improvement over the performance of other 3D printing robots, which are 75% slower.

3D printing can be less expedient due to stabilization needs and be subject to materials supply limitations. Alquist 3D says they overcame those with the introduction of a new Mobile-Rail design and custom-made tool heads to enable continuous printing. 

The pace of their innovation's expansion, therefore, could help finally usher in a new era of large-scale robotic 3D construction for commercial structures and modular housing alike. 

"For the first time, we’re not talking about the 'potential' of 3D printing—we have delivered real savings in time and labor," Ziyou Xu, the founder of RIC Robotics, says. "This project proves robotic 3D construction is a commercially viable solution for large-scale developments. And this is just the beginning."

Walmart's Alabama project is part of a green building push that began in 2016. The company is working on a new mass timber campus in Bentonville, Arkansas.