GE Renewable Energy announces minority investment in COBOD International
By Adam Freill
Concrete Construction Equipment TechnologyInvestment provides additional access to research using concrete 3D printing technology.
Matteo Belucci (left) and Henrik Lund-Nielsen have their companies working together on 3D printing research for the construction indudustry. (Photo courtesy of COBOD)
GE Renewable Energy has made a minority investment in COBOD International, a company aiming to disrupt the global construction industry through the use of multifunctional construction robots and 3D printing systems.
COBOD 3D printed Europe’s first building in 2017, followed by the first two- and three-storey buildings in Belgium and Germany using its technology.
“This agreement, which will further strengthen our ability to use COBOD’s 3D printing technology and competences in the renewable energy space, is another sign of our commitment to help drive the energy transition by investing in technology that promotes a more sustainable, circular design strategy and helps to create local jobs,” said Matteo Bellucci, GE Renewable Energy Advanced Manufacturing Technology leader. “Since we started cooperating with COBOD, the company has continued to improve their technical competence and innovative solutions, reinforcing the benefits of solidifying the relationship between our companies.”
“I am extremely proud that such an iconic and world class company like GE would like to partner with COBOD and help us deliver on the automated construction solutions of the future,” stated Henrik Lund-Nielsen, COBOD founder and general manager. “Since 2019, when we began cooperating with GE, we have already sharpened our R&D competence, engineering, and industrial skills significantly as a direct result of the cooperation, and we look very much forward to continuing benefitting from the vast resources of GE.”
The two companies participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate a new research and development facility in Bergen, New York, that will conduct research on how to 3D print the concrete base of towers used in wind turbines. The research will enable GE Renewable Energy to develop new production methods to make wind turbine towers more efficient and sustainable.
During the event, Lund-Nielsen noted that the 3D concrete printer — the largest of its kind in the world – is the first 3D concrete printer in the world to have two X-axes – one for doing the printing of concrete and the other for doing the reinforcement, making it as much a multifunctional construction robot as a printer.
COBOD is currently experiencing double digit growth and has sold more than 50 3D construction printers worldwide. Financial details on the investment were not disclosed.
