SBIR-STTR Award

Robotic autonomy and enhanced training in principles of design for large-scale 3D-printing will enable a new model of Air Force and defense construction. Branch Technology's large-scale 3D-printng innovation, Cellular Fabrication (C-FAB), opens up a platform-specific training opportunity for Air Force end users to revolutionize the military construction arena while simultaneously improving the effectiveness, scale, and breadth of Air Force technology training efforts. The worldwide leader in Freeform 3D-printing, Branch Technology is poised at the intersection of prefabrication, manufacturing, and advanced materials science to bring customized, adaptable solutions to Air Force end-users through direct digital fabrication. The interdisciplinary team is made of an elite group of architects, engineers, physicists, programmers, and industrial designers with centuries of combined experience in their fields. Branch has already begun commercializing its large-scale 3D-printing capabilities in the non-defense sector with nearly $3 million in sales from large-scale projects and nearly $8 million in investment. Training Air Force users on design principles that take advantage of C-FAB's many benefits and implementing those principles through in-field construction solutions will ensure that the Air Force remains operationally flexible and autonomous.

Branch Technology is an architectural fabricator specializing in large-scale 3D-Printing for the construction arena. The company’s process, called Cellular Fabrication (C-FAB), combines industrial robotics, powerful algorithms, and Freeform extrusion to produce lightweight, robust, and custom architectural components. No other process in the world can enable Freeform 3D-printing with such repeatability or at such scale. As a result, C-FAB presents ground-breaking, platform-specific training opportunity within the Air Force to educate Airmen about design principles for this new capability. 3D-Printing promises to revolutionize manufacturing on all levels, but in the construction sector specifically, designers and architects should be familiarized with relevant design techniques to ensure proper use of C-FAB for various applications. In this project, Branch proposes work to develop C-FAB platform-specific training content to educate Airmen on principles of Design for 3D-Printing at large scale. Branch will develop educational curriculum, video and media content, distributable design guides tailored to specific parameters, and an Air Force user portal where collaboration, feasibility studies, and technical and financial feedback can be accessed. Ultimately, through this project, Branch will enhance Air Force technological exposure to state-of-the-art construction technologies, train users to adequately design for C-FAB capabilities, and amplify Air Force construction productivity and operational superiority.