A low-carbon 3D printing factory is set to open before the summer in Flixborough near Scunthorpe. The facility, operated by a partnership of Hyperion Robotics and LKAB Minerals, will produce digitally designed, robotically manufactured concrete foundation systems.
Named Forge I, the factory will be the most automated concrete manufacturing facility of its kind in the UK market, according to Hyperion. Initially, it will focus on delivering high-efficiency foundation systems for the energy, water, data centre and utilities sectors.
The site will have the capacity to manufacture more than 50 large-scale, Eurocode-compliant and CE-marked foundations per week, with typical dimensions of up to 3m x 3m footprint and 2.5m height, ready for deployment nationwide.
Hyperion develops low-carbon concrete infrastructure using robotics and large-scale additive manufacturing. It has delivered projects across the UK and Europe for clients including National Grid, Yorkshire Water, Welsh Water and Mott MacDonald Bentley.
LKAB Minerals, a subsidiary of the Swedish state-owned mining company LKAB, produces low-carbon mineral products.
‘A major milestone’
Hyperion CEO Fernando De los Rios said: “Establishing Forge I with LKAB marks a major milestone in industrialising low-carbon infrastructure delivery in the UK. This partnership brings together the material security, industrial capability and sustainability foundation needed to scale production and support the UK’s ambitious infrastructure plans and carbon reduction targets.
“Forge I is the first step in a new generation of manufacturing for infrastructure – helping the UK build stronger, lower-carbon assets and transforming how critical foundations are delivered at scale.”
Steve Handscomb, managing director of LKAB Minerals UK, added: “This partnership brings together low-carbon mineral materials and advanced digital manufacturing in a single, integrated production model.
“By supplying climate-efficient mineral inputs directly into Hyperion’s computational design and robotic production platform, we are helping to establish a new automated raw-materials-to-infrastructure value chain in the UK. It demonstrates how materials innovation and industrial digitalisation can work together to accelerate the transition to lower-carbon, high-performance construction.”
