India’s defence infrastructure development agency, MES (military engineering services), built two houses in South-Western Air Command, Gandhinagar and Jaisalmer, tapping 3D rapid construction technology from the private sector. The use of 3D printers by the Indian military is, however, not confined to houses alone.

Vidyashankar C, co-founder and chief operating officer, Tvasta Construction says, “they are asking us to make bunkers and parking facilities for military vehicles in border areas where traditional construction is challenging due to harsh weather conditions and short supply of labour due to the threat from hostile neighbors.”

Incubated at the Institute of Technology-Madras, Tvasta, which had raised three crore from non-profit organization Habitat for Humanity in October, was one of the first to successfully develop a one-storey 3D printed house that met protocols for traditional houses.

Swapnil Sansare, founder and chief executive, Divide by Zero says, “Government organizations have shown a lot of interest in the use of 3D printing for the defence and railways sectors.”

“Discussions are on at many levels to ensure the feasibility and sustainability of the technology to build houses, bunkers and emergency structures,” Sansare adds.

Sansare says, “the company is working with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on some projects.”

Besides, the houses built for the IAF by Tvasta are different from the 600-sqft one-bedroom residential unit it had built in IIT Madras campus using 3D printers in April 2021. It was constructed in five days for affordable housing.

Vidyashankar says, “for the Air Force, we have used a new composite mix and a new design to make it more adaptable to local conditions. The units in Jaisalmer, on the other hand, have a lot of curves to ensure sand deposits are avoided and it does not corrode the material. The material also has anti ultra violet (UV) properties.”