The Education and Culture Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra along with the Indonesian Academics and Researchers Network Australia (IARNA) brought together Indonesian and Australian researchers in a webinar themed “Recent Update on 3D Printing Technology for Concrete.” The webinar which took place in Canberra on Friday (25/1) was attended by Prof. Jay Sanjayan from Swinburne University of Technology and Associate Prof. Sotya Astutiningsih from the University of Indonesia.
Education and Culture Attache of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, Mukhamad Najib in a written statement received on Saturday (26/1) explained that the purpose of the webinar is to facilitate communication between Indonesian and Australian researchers in the same field so that the collaboration can be carried out sustainably. The topic discussed in the webinar is the application of 3D printing technology in the construction industry, which is currently growing in Australia and Indonesia. Najib hopes that the event can encourage the transfer of knowledge and technology so that the research in Indonesia can develop rapidly and Indonesia can be parallel with Australia in the field of science and technology.
Director of Swinburne's Center for Sustainable Infrastructure, Jay Sanjayan said that 3D printing is a three-dimensional printer technology, which can create three-dimensional images on a computer and print in three dimensions. According to Jay, this technology has been applied to build bridges and buildings in various countries, such as in the UK, Italy, China and Australia.
While the lecturer at the University of Indonesia, Prof. Sotya Astutiningsih said that although in Indonesia, 3D printer technology is relatively new, currently there are startup companies, which have successfully used 3D printer technology to make type 36 landed house buildings. She added that the challenges of using 3D printing technology in Indonesia are the weather, because the hot temperature causes the cement to dry quickly and harden.