Arup, a leading group of 3D CAD technicians and modellers, has produced a structural node using 3D printing that is as strong as its conventional counterpart, but weighs 75 per cent less and is only half as high, a report said.

Advances in design made possible by 3D printing could reduce the overall weight of structures by 40 per cent, added the Global Construction Review report.

The work reveals for the first time the future potential of 3D printing for the construction and manufacturing sectors, Salomé Galjaard, team leader at Arup said.

The structural elements pictured are all designed to carry the same structural loads and forces, but the smallest item (far right), designed using the very latest optimisation and manufacturing methods, is only around half as high as the one designed for traditional production methods, and it weighs 75 per cent less, he added.

“On a construction project that means we could be looking at an overall weight reduction of the total structure of more than 40 per cent,” Galjaard said. “But the really exciting part is that this technique can potentially be applied to any industry that uses complex, high quality, metal products.”

Arup said that 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, allows manufacturers to create complex, individually designed pieces and print them in metal, the report said.