World's first ever 3D-printed laboratory almost ready in Dubai

The site of the 3D-printed lab

The first ever 3D-printed laboratory building in the world is almost ready. Located in the UAE and being fully printed onsite, it has reached 87 per cent project completion.
The lab aims to study the science and technique of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 3D-printing.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), reviewed the construction work of the 3D-printed lab, at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
Dewa is keen to support the Dubai 3D printing strategy, to create a well-equipped infrastructure for research, development, design and manufacturing activities that sets out technology application and product specifications to deliver 3D-printed products, at a competitive cost and with high quality.
Dewa also supports the national capabilities of researchers, designers, and innovators to bring the best minds from around the world, to make Dubai the world's leading 3D-printing hub by 2030.
Dewa has also invited a number of university students and specialised academicians to attend and participate in the lab's building stages, in order for them to gain practical experience.
This project will mark the beginning of radical transformations in the world of design and construction, as 3D-printing technology will reduce both cost and time; the two most important elements in construction projects.
Dewa is studying the possibility of using 3D-printing technology in the development of spare parts, to improve the performance of UAVs, based on Artificial Intelligence. Through its R&D initiatives, Dewa is utilising 3D-printing and additive manufacturing, as innovative solutions for its internal printing operations for non-metal spare parts for equipment.
The 3D-printed lab includes four sub-laboratories, with a capacity of 132 square metres: the Electronics Lab, the Software Lab, the Mechanical Lab, and the Prototype Lab, as well as an outdoor-testing facility, with a capacity of 400 square metres.
The Electronics Lab will conduct electrical design and repair services for drones that can be used by R&D staff, and Dewa employees. The Software Lab will develop and provide Dewa with innovative products, research, and educational solutions, running tests on avionic systems, flight controls, and electric power units.
Particular areas of interest include operating systems, mobile computing, cloud computing, virtualisation, distribution systems, and software engineering. The Mechanical Lab will conduct theoretical and experimental research into phenomena related to the behaviour of certain materials.
The outdoor flight-testing facility will feature a landing area equipped with sensors, and a power, water, and data line.
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