BigRep and Forward AM Expand Strategic Partnership

Forward AM and BigRep are expanding their partnership and have joined forces again to leverage the synergies between their main areas of expertise: virtual engineering, additive manufacturing, advanced material development and large-format printing.

Formwork, the molds used in concrete construction, can make up 40%-60% of a total budget, especially for complex shapes. Without 3D printing, some designs like organic geometries, double-curved surfaces and cavities are simply not feasible to produce. They require highly skilled laborers to build customized formwork resulting in high costs, long lead times and material waste.

“Our customers are seeing huge gains in terms of cost and speed thanks to our large-format machines and the new CONCRETE FORMWORK filament," says Dr. Sven Thate, managing director of BigRep.

BigRep 3D printers, which are up to 1 cubic meter in build volume, can produce large, complex formwork faster at less cost than traditional methods. 

“At Forward AM, we developed a highly dimensionally stable, rigid formwork material, especially tailored to work seamlessly on the BigRep’s large-format3D printers. We are excited to be able to deliver this ready-to-use, end-to-end fabrication solution for bespoke formwork,” says François Minec, Managing Director BASF 3D Printing Solutions.

Demonstrating the material's effectiveness and advantages for the construction industry, Forward AM and BigRep showcase the “Bespoke Stair at Nest Step2,” designed by DBT at ETH Zürich with ROK, SW Umwelttechnik and WaltGalmarini. The concrete staircase expands the design possibilities of structural architectural elements, while minimizing costs, material waste, and skilled labor, according to the companies. NEST, to be built at EMPA in Zürich, is a building using digital fabrication and circular economy.

For more information on the partnership and to see the printers and material in action, visit 

• BigRep
• Forward AM 

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.