Your go-to guide for Vertico Library

Depending on the complexity of your system, it will take between 3-6 days to install and commission the equipment. We typically plan 5-8 days on site for the installation, commissioning, and Hardware Training.

After your system is delivered, a Vertico team will travel to your facility to install all components. It’s important that the required power and water service (including cleaning station) are in place before the installation. There are some basic tools needed for the installation of the system that you likely already have or will find useful in your work space.

Based on your system, Vertico will provide a detailed list of the tools and supplies you need. The Vertico team will bring other necessary tools and supplies for the installation. For the installation of the Robot and Track, a forklift (with at least 2.5 ton capacity at a height of 3 meters or 9 feet) is needed. The forklift and a folding ladder of at least 2 m (6 feet) will also be necessary to load dry material into your Silo. A pallet jack (with at least 1.5 ton capacity) is needed for the installation, and will be useful to move material and objects in your work space in the future.

Unless included in the quotation, shipping costs are not included in the price of your equipment. Vertico can provide a quotation for the transportation of your equipment, or you can organize this yourself.

Varies. Once the manufacturing process is complete, your 3D Concrete Printing system will undergo a complete Factory Acceptance Test at our facility. After completion of this test, the system will be packaged and made ready for transport. This will be completed within the quoted lead time after your down payment is recieved.

The shipment and customs process varies by location. Once the shipment clears customs and is delivered to your facility, you can receive the order and store the packed system in a convenient location until the Vertico team arrives to unpack and install the components. The exact dates of the installation will be planned after the order for shipping has been placed.

Varies. See kick-off manual.

As soon as possible, please send photos of the space where you intend to use your 3D Concrete Printing system, and digital copies (in .dwg format if possible) of floor plan and section drawings of the space. The most important features which should be shown are:

1) The dimensions of the space, including all walls, columns, windows, and doors

2) The floor slab, including material, thickness, and reinforcing specifications

3) The height of the space, including any hanging beams, ducts, rails, or lights

4) The access to the space, both for workers and machinery

5) The location of water and electrical connections

6) The location of the robot, track, and controller, along with any safety equipment

After operation of the system, all parts that have come into contact with concrete need to be cleaned. For this, it is recommended there is a dedicated cleaning area/station that serves the following functions.<

1) Cleaning basin: A place to clean and rinse all the components.

2) Drying rack: A place where the parts can be stored after cleaning.

3) Pressure washer: A system that can deliver high pressure water for cleaning dirty parts.

4) Wastewater management: After cleaning, the water is contaminated with cement, sand and other particles/compounds.

It is recommended to have a way of separating the solid particles from the water, like a settling tank, so they can be disposed of separately. This depends on the local requirements.

The robot and track must be installed on a level and flat surface (+/- 10mm). This surface must have sufficient strength to support the equipment (see System Specifications).

Varies. For 2K systems without a Silo: The lid and safety screen covering the dry material hopper of your mortar pump has integrated dust extraction ducts.

An industrial M-class vacuum cleaner (with standard hose) is needed to remove the dust caused by material loading and pump operation.

Varies. For 2K systems: The system requires two water connections, one for the Mortar Pump (MultiMix) and one for the Dosing Station. A residential/commercial water supply is sufficient. Water pressure of about 2 bars is recommended.

Higher pressure will cause unnecessary wear on the pumping equipment. Lower pressure will make filling and cleaning procedures more difficult.

Varies. For 2K systems: The system requires two 50/60 Hz 3-phase 400/480 V power connections - one for the Robot, and one for the Mortar Pump.

The pump supplies power to the Dosing Station and Print Head. Next to this, it is recommended to have some extra 120/230 V connections on hand for peripherals like laptops.

Depending on the complexity of your system, it will take between 3-6 days to install and commission the equipment. We typically plan 5-8 days on site for the installation, commissioning, and Hardware Training.

After your system is delivered, a Vertico team will travel to your facility to install all components. It’s important that the required power and water service (including cleaning station) are in place before the installation. There are some basic tools needed for the installation of the system that you likely already have or will find useful in your work space.

Based on your system, Vertico will provide a detailed list of the tools and supplies you need. The Vertico team will bring other necessary tools and supplies for the installation. For the installation of the Robot and Track, a forklift (with at least 2.5 ton capacity at a height of 3 meters or 9 feet) is needed. The forklift and a folding ladder of at least 2 m (6 feet) will also be necessary to load dry material into your Silo. A pallet jack (with at least 1.5 ton capacity) is needed for the installation, and will be useful to move material and objects in your work space in the future.

Unless included in the quotation, shipping costs are not included in the price of your equipment. Vertico can provide a quotation for the transportation of your equipment, or you can organize this yourself.

Varies. Once the manufacturing process is complete, your 3D Concrete Printing system will undergo a complete Factory Acceptance Test at our facility. After completion of this test, the system will be packaged and made ready for transport. This will be completed within the quoted lead time after your down payment is recieved.

The shipment and customs process varies by location. Once the shipment clears customs and is delivered to your facility, you can receive the order and store the packed system in a convenient location until the Vertico team arrives to unpack and install the components. The exact dates of the installation will be planned after the order for shipping has been placed.

Varies. See kick-off manual.

As soon as possible, please send photos of the space where you intend to use your 3D Concrete Printing system, and digital copies (in .dwg format if possible) of floor plan and section drawings of the space. The most important features which should be shown are:

1) The dimensions of the space, including all walls, columns, windows, and doors

2) The floor slab, including material, thickness, and reinforcing specifications

3) The height of the space, including any hanging beams, ducts, rails, or lights

4) The access to the space, both for workers and machinery

5) The location of water and electrical connections

6) The location of the robot, track, and controller, along with any safety equipment

After operation of the system, all parts that have come into contact with concrete need to be cleaned. For this, it is recommended there is a dedicated cleaning area/station that serves the following functions.<

1) Cleaning basin: A place to clean and rinse all the components.

2) Drying rack: A place where the parts can be stored after cleaning.

3) Pressure washer: A system that can deliver high pressure water for cleaning dirty parts.

4) Wastewater management: After cleaning, the water is contaminated with cement, sand and other particles/compounds.

It is recommended to have a way of separating the solid particles from the water, like a settling tank, so they can be disposed of separately. This depends on the local requirements.

The robot and track must be installed on a level and flat surface (+/- 10mm). This surface must have sufficient strength to support the equipment (see System Specifications).

Varies. For 2K systems without a Silo: The lid and safety screen covering the dry material hopper of your mortar pump has integrated dust extraction ducts.

An industrial M-class vacuum cleaner (with standard hose) is needed to remove the dust caused by material loading and pump operation.

Varies. For 2K systems: The system requires two water connections, one for the Mortar Pump (MultiMix) and one for the Dosing Station. A residential/commercial water supply is sufficient. Water pressure of about 2 bars is recommended.

Higher pressure will cause unnecessary wear on the pumping equipment. Lower pressure will make filling and cleaning procedures more difficult.

Varies. For 2K systems: The system requires two 50/60 Hz 3-phase 400/480 V power connections - one for the Robot, and one for the Mortar Pump.

The pump supplies power to the Dosing Station and Print Head. Next to this, it is recommended to have some extra 120/230 V connections on hand for peripherals like laptops.

The Vertico team that travels to your facility can compelte the installation of your equipment independently. It's important to have access to the facility each day and have the required tools and supplies on site.

You and your team are welcome to observe or help with the installation of the equipment, but this is not required.

We recommend the purest glycerine available to you.

Every 3 months

Your system is delivered with a spare parts package including the parts of the Mortar Pump and Print Head that need to be replaced most frequently. This package should last about one year under normal operating conditions.

A detailed list of preventative maintence steps is available. Tutorials for most common tasks are available.

During the first day, the Vertico installation team demonstrates the complete operation of the system, from initial setup to final cleanup. Your team will assist, to begin to develop familiarity with the control system, pumping hardware, and robot operation. It’s important that your cleaning station is ready for this first print day, and that you’re prepared with proper PPE (safety shoes, glasses, gloves, masks, and ear protection) and work clothes.

During the second day, you begin to operate the system on your own. You’ll follow the setup process in our control software and, with our guidance, prepare the pumping hardware. By the end of the printing session, you’ll be able to operate the robot and use the control software to adjust the print settings. The Vertico team will guide you through the setup, printing and cleanup process, including the disassembly of the hardware and cleaning and storage of the system components.

By the final day, you will be ready to use the system independently. Our team will be present during the entire print session, but your team will operate the system from setup to cleanup. Our focus will be on providing more in-depth and detailed advice on the use of the control software, printing techniques, and design strategies.

Immediately after the installation of your system is complete, we will begin (3) days of hardware training with your team. We plan a complete printing session (including setup and cleanup) for each day. Each printing session lasts a full work day.

Typically, we provide the design and code for the robot during all of the printing sessions.

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Experience with Rhino and Grasshopper is required before Software Training can begin. Tutorials for both are available online.

The goal of Software Training is to become comfortable with designing objects for printing using the Vertico Slicer. Software Training consists of (3) sessions of (4) hours each. Ideally, these are scheduled within a few weeks of the installation, so the lessons learned can be practiced quickly.

A few days should be left between each session to provide time to complete practice exercises. You’re welcome to come to our facility in Eindhoven, but this training can take place easily online. For online training, a good internet connection and a computer with two monitors is recommended.

Ideally, Software Training begins 2-3 weeks before the installation of your system. This gives you the opportunity to quickly implement the lessons you learn on your own equipment.

The ideal operating team consists of 3-4 people with a varied of skills in digital design, engineering, robotics, manufacturing, and construction. The design of a printed object includes not only 3D modeling, but also the generation and verification of the toolpath used by the robot. For this reason, the designer (or software expert) should be trained in the use of the slicing software, as well as the use of the robot and hardware. The safe and effective operation of a Vertico 3D Concrete Printing system is a team effort. A Printing Expert (trained to use the slicer, robot, and hardware) is the leader of this team, and maintains an overview of the printing process.

This person knows the code that is being used by the robot, and can anticipate the correct settings for the pump, dosing station, and robot. They maintain a clean and safe work environment throughout the printing process, and know how to troubleshoot errors in the robot and hardware.

A Printing Assistant (trained to use the robot and hardware) can operate the robot and make the necessary adjustments to the system to achieve a successful print. A Hardware Expert (trained to use the hardware) specializes in the operation of the pumping equipment, including the setup and cleanup process.

Additional material can always be ordered from us and shipped from the Netherlands in 20 kg or 1 ton bags, but can also be manufactured locally.

We will share the material recipe, Material Safety Data Sheets, and technical specifications.

Vertico regularly uses material from a variety of suppliers in production and testing environments. We encourage you to do the same. We are open to sharing the information we have learned, and hope to learn from your experience in the future.

No, this is not possible

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The printable layer dimensions (not the overall object size) depend mainly on nozzle size, material behavior, and print settings. Below are the typical ranges achieved with standard Vertico equipment, without a noticeable drop in layer quality.

Standard nozzle range

Vertico provides nozzles with diameters of 16, 18, 20, and 25 mm.

Layer width

With the smallest standard nozzle (16 mm), the minimum reliable layer width is 16 mm.

With the largest standard nozzle (25 mm), layer widths up to 50 mm can be achieved while maintaining good quality.

Layer height

With a 16 mm nozzle, the minimum stable layer height is approximately 6 mm.

With a 25 mm nozzle, layer heights up to 20 mm can be printed without a noticeable reduction in quality.

Extended (prototype) ranges

In testing with prototype nozzles, wider limits have been achieved:

• A 14 mm prototype nozzle has produced layers as narrow as 14 mm
• A 50 mm prototype nozzle has produced layers up to 100 mm wide
• These results depend heavily on material formulation, pumping capacity, and print parameters.
• Pushing the limits
• Clients are encouraged to experiment within safe operating conditions to explore the limits of their specific setup and material.
• When printing very thin or narrow layers:
• Increase robot travel speed
• Reduce mortar pump speed to the minimum (around 15 Hz) to avoid over-extrusion
• When printing very wide or tall layers:
• Reduce robot speed
• Increase mortar pump speed
• In some cases, replace the rotor–stator to allow higher mortar flow
• Increase accelerant dosage to help the material gain strength quickly enough to support taller layers
• Because materials and environments vary, fine-tuning is always required when working near the system’s dimensional limits.

If you are using a material that normally delivers good print quality and you notice a sudden decline, this usually indicates a change in equipment condition, material flow, or print settings. The steps below can help you identify the cause.

Important: If you are working with a new material, first confirm that it is fully compatible with the Vertico system and approved for your setup.

One of the most common reasons for reduced layer quality is wear in the rotor–stator of the MultiMix system. You can check this by monitoring the mortar pressure graph on the control stand. If you see noticeable pressure waves or pulsations (especially in a zoomed-in view), the rotor–stator is likely worn or damaged and should be replaced.

Another possible cause is insufficient mixing of the mortar and accelerant. Poor mixing can lead to weak layer formation and inconsistent extrusion. To improve mixing, increase the speed of the mixing rod motor on the printhead to 800 rpm via the control stand.

If you notice air bubbles in the extruded mortar, inspect the accelerant hose. Air can enter the system if:

The hose was not primed correctly, or

There is a leak or loose connection allowing air to be drawn in.

Finally, the issue may be related to the print design rather than the hardware. Certain geometric conditions can negatively affect layer quality, including:

• Points that are too close together, causing the robot to slow down excessively
• Overlapping toolpaths
• Very sharp corners

Cracking in 3D-printed concrete can occur at different stages of an object’s life cycle: during printing, throughout the curing process, or later during use. Each stage has different causes, and understanding them is key to reducing risk.

Cracks that appear during printing are often the result of forces acting on the material before it has gained enough strength, or from early-age shrinkage.
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Cracking during curing is most commonly linked to moisture loss and shrinkage as the concrete hardens.
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Cracks that develop after curing may stem from microcracks formed while the print was being moved, inadequate curing conditions, design-related stress points, partially uncured material (unreacted cement), or environmental exposure such as temperature changes and weather.

Below are practical recommendations for each stage of the process to help minimise the likelihood of cracking.

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- Designing process:

• Design the objects using thicker lines - Adjust the tolerances for a layer width of 35-45mm. We have gotten great results using the 40mm layer width.
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• Design the objects using Double lines - Make double lines to increase the thickness of the object. Double lines can be used throughout the whole object or just the critical parts.
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• Avoid using long straight lines in your designs - Lines of 800mm or longer are critical for cracking. You can improve the durability of the design by adding a supportive line at the middle of the straight line. Additionally, straight lines are vulnerable to cracking while curing. Micro cracks can be created without you being able to see them and can grow later.
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• Perform structural analysis - Make sure that your forces are distributed correctly towards the base of the object and none of the parts is in tension.

- Printing process:

• Increase the mixing speed of the printhead mixing rod - Increasing the spped to 800 rpm will help with mixing the mortar with the accelerant better and get rid of unreacted cement.
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• Make sure the lines are properly attached - Lines that are designed to be touching should have sufficient overlap while printing (at least 10% of the layer width).
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• Lower the accelerant to the minimum value possible - In order to avoid cracks while printing you need to lower the accelerant to the minimum. Especially when you are printing objects with long layer on layer time lowering the accelerant is crucial for improving the layer adhesion.
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• Use the material with the highest strength and shrinkage properties - For now we evaluate Sikacrete 751 3D as the best performing material overall (considering strength, shrinkage and layer quality).
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• Use rebar reinforcement - Adding rebars was proven to help a lot especially with straight lines. When printing benches it is highly recommended to add rebars on the top surface, between the layers while printing (At Least 3 rebars throughout the top surface). It is recommended to design double lines when you intend to place rebar in the print.
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• Use fibers in the concrete mix. This is a solution that has proven hard to implement so far but has great potential. We recommend performing tests before printing with fibers as it can damage the rotor stator if not used in a correct way.
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• Use a printbed that doesn't bend under the weight of the printing object - Bending of the printed under the object's weight can create micro cracks.

- Curing process:

• Avoid moving prints right after printing - Moving prints right after they are printed can cause micro cracks that can develop later. If you decide to move a print after printing it to move it to the curing area always use a plate that doesn't bend.
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• Cure the prints in the correct conditions - Cure the printed objects for at least 7 days (preferably for 28 days) in an environment with 90% humidity (or above) and temperature that doesn't fluctuate outside of the allowed values (10-24 degrees celsius).

-Aftercare:

• Use water repellent coating - After the curing process is completed it is recommended to use a water repellent coating especially for the objects that are meant to be used outdoors.

• Cast small holes where water can be trapped - If your design creates small holes (for example because of the pattern) you can cast those holes to avoid water getting trapped in there. Trapped water can cause cracking especially when there are freezing temperatures in the environment.
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• Use a carpet under the print when installing - A wool felt or any soft material can prevent point loads caused by printing or floor imperfections. Especially when the print has a long surface touching the floor (like the one shown in the images) a protective, soft layer is necessary.