Tvasta Manufacturing Collaborates with India Cements

07 July 2022: As per news reports, Chennai-based start-up Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions has begun working with India Cements to develop a new, more sustainable construction 3D printing material. As part of a recently-signed ‘strategic collaboration’ deal, the firms have agreed to exchange technologies and conduct joint R&D, with the aim of coming up with a novel, eco-friendly cement formulation. Having worked on both private projects and those for the Indian Air Force together, the companies now intend to extend their partnership, as a means of making Indian construction less resource-intensive.

Founded by three IIT-Madras alumni, Tvasta Manufacturing was incubated there until 2016, before the firm was eventually spun-out. Initially, the company offered consultancy services to those Indian businesses seeking to integrate 3D printing into their supply chains, but they soon realized that they could utilize their expertise to develop their own products.

After iterating their technology to the point that they were able to create India’s first 3D printed home in 2020, the Tvasta Manufacturing team soon began to commercialize it in the form of a production system. With this machine, the firm’s founders say they’ve managed to reduce their process’ material consumption, as well as optimizing the properties of the structures they’re able to build with it.

While little has been made public about the workings of Tvasta Manufacturing’s 3D printer, it’s understood to deliver cost and lead time benefits over traditional construction technologies. From what we do know, the company has established an ‘end-to-end’ portfolio, composed of machines, software and materials, which it says is capable of delivering custom infrastructure efficiently, and at scale.

Already, Tvasta Manufacturing and India Cements have worked together on a number of projects, including the construction of the Indian Army’s first 3D printed houses, which were built in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, alongside the Army’s Military Engineering Services.