The Robotics and Drone Laboratory (R&Drone Laboratory) in Dubai was completed in 2017 and is now used to conduct research on drones and 3D printing technologies.

CyBe Construction was commissioned by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority to execute the engineering and construction of the iconic R&Drone Laboratory. This was the first open tender project in which 3D printing technologies were mandated. This followed Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Makhtoum’s vision to 3D print up to 25% of Dubai’s buildings by 2030 — an ambitious and progressive goal.

Fittingly, the laboratory is built in the Solar Park as a research center for drone and 3D printing technology. For the on-site printing of this building, CyBe’s Robot Crawler (RC) printer was transported to the location. Thanks to the nature of parametric design, client-requested size adjustments were easily made and implemented on-site — a process that was both efficient and cost-effective.

The R&Drone Laboratory was CyBe’s first experience 3D printing concrete in 40-degree Celsius temperatures. This was significant because of the effect it had on the CyBe Mortar drying and set-time, setting in five minutes, as opposed to three. This required adjusting the printing speed, which CyBe printers can easily accommodate. CyBe also demonstrated its adaptability by constructing within the local regulations and building codes, which differ from country to country.

According to the cybe, Internet