ROBOVOID NEWS

Great article about ROBOVOID in the latest edition of AMTIL’s magazine, celebrating our recent success implementing our decarbonisation solution in the rail sector. 38% less concrete!

AMTIL was one of our first supporters, helping us through their member network and with some funding support to help create 3D printed prototypes and world-first additively manufactured tool inserts with integrated conformal cooling - still working well after tens of thousands of cycles!

 The latest publication includes:
- New guidance on recycling
- Inclusion of example calculations for a flat slab
- Updates to ground slab and retaining wall details
- Extra guidance on durability 

ROBOVOID successfully installed in insitu ground slab by LANDSCAPE PLUS for JOHN HOLLAND, at KEON Park Level Crossing Removal Project (part of Victoria's BIG BUILD).

ROBOVOID features in ECOLOGIQ Lunch and Learn Session

ROBOVOID can be used in non-concrete applications! ABSC CEO Kylie Roberts-Frost visits to learn how ROBOVOID can be used in bed construction

When ROBOVOID structures are demolished the recycled plastic ROBOVOID components can be separated from the concrete and steel, allowing all materials to be recycled.

ROBOVOID presentation at Sustainability Victoria Showcase: Innovations in Residential and Commercial Construction

Australian patent no. 2019277210 which underpins the ROBOVOID void former solution has been granted by IP Australia.

Includes international design guidance including to ACI-318 and Eurocode EN 1992-1-1

ROBOVOID was successfully used in the manufacture by WESTKON of 2 no. 5m high L-shape retaining wall units designed to AS5100 for infrastructure applications. Concrete is reduced by approximately 30%, steel reinforcement by 10%, and in conjunction with the use of cement replacements, the embodied CO2 is reduced by approximately 50%. The units were cast with 180 slump concrete and good compaction was achieved. 

Today it was great to present our 100% recycled plastic patented ROBOVOID technology, invented by Dr John Stehle, to the Victorian Minister of Planning and Suburbs, Hon. Sonya Kilkenny MP and Legislative Councillor Mr John Berger MLC, at Swinburne University of Technology, with our R&D collaborators Dr Jessey Lee, Dr Robin Kalfat and Professor Pat Rajeev. Not only can our offering reduce concrete usage and provide sustainable solutions for infrastructure and construction projects, but as Hon. Sonya Kilkenny MP pointed out, it serves as a great example of a locally invented technological achievement that can inspire the next generation,.... which we're very proud of.

New Zealand patent no. 770542 which underpins the ROBOVOID void former solution has been granted by the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office.

An Ultimate Limit State Load test was conducted on our Robovoid flat slab structure at Westkon Precast.

56 tonnes of water was applied over an 8m*8m area and maintained for more than 24 hours.

The maximum deformation surveyed was approximately 12mm and the maximum crack width was about 0.2mm wide – both well below the allowable limits. 

The structure has now been independently certified.

Artist Sarah Cook captures the essence of ROBOVOID in a nutshell at the ECOLOGIQ exhibition.

ROBOVOID exhibits for another year at the ECOLOGIQ exhibition in Melbourne. This time Dr John Stehle is a speaker at the event and there is great interest and enthusiasm from the industry and government attendees to use ROBOVOID in the BIG BUILD!

ROBOVOID also created a pyramid sculpture for the event which captured the attention of many onlookers.

Dr Jessey Lee presented at the 

Concrete Institute of Australia Conference in Perth where she talked about "Design and testing of flat slab construction incorporating innovative recycled plastic ROBOVOID void formers".

For new builds, minimising the use of concrete through efficient design such as by using Robovoid void formers, should be the first step taken to achieve a sustainable design. Then green concrete and reinforcement should be specified where possible.

Last week more history was made with the world first construction of a 2-way flat slab structure using our patented Robovoid technology at Westkon Precast.

The 275mm thick slab spans 8m between column centroids in both directions and 25% less concrete is used. The heaviest panel weighed only 9.4 tonnes compared to 14 tonnes if otherwise solid, and thus smaller cranes and fewer deliveries to site are required.

The pad foundations and columns also include ROBOVOID. In the pads this reduces mass as a permanent benefit, and in the columns the void former is a temporary void which is filled with insitu concrete to achieve a full strength column. 

“Tensile Performance of Cast-in Headed Studs in Thin Concrete Panels with Void Formers” is published in 'Construction and Building Materials'. Authored by  Dr Jessey Lee, Dr John Stehle, Dr Tilak Pokharel, Professor Emad Gad, Dr Kamiran Abdouka and Professor Jay Sanjayan

The research is an important contribution to increasing the understanding of shallow embedments in concrete and is of particular relevance to the use of ROBOVOID void formers in combination with ANCON SHEARFIX studs by LEVIAT. The work demonstrates how the tensile performance of stud-reinforced ‘ROBOCONEs’ can be safely relied upon in reinforced concrete components with engineered voids.

We are particularly thankful to Dr Andreas Boomkamp at LEVIAT and his colleagues for their expert advice and the supply of quality stud components. 

 We are excited to announce that ROBOVOID has entered the Victorian Premier's Sustainability Awards 2023!

Typical benefits provided by ROBOVOID include; reducing the weight of construction, the use of less concrete, reduced waste to landfill, improvements to the thermal efficiency of buildings and significant CO2 savings in a cost effective manner.

The ROBOVOID system has recently entered its commercialisation phase and is starting to be implemented on real projects locally and internationally.

With widespread international uptake of the ROBOVOID system, a considerable contribution can be made towards meeting the UN's sustainability agenda, contribute to meeting CO2 reduction targets and reduce the impact of climate change.

 We are excited to announce that the first real life use of ROBOVOID on a project in Australia has been successfully completed, with WESTKON precast manufacturing and installing the panels at GT Recycling in Moolap (near Geelong in Victoria). The panels are being used as retaining wall elements and infill panels in a shed construction.

 The CIA Victoria Awards for Excellence in Concrete, along with the annual CIA VIC trade exhibition is on the 20th of July! We are excited to be participating as an exhibitor and are proud to be nominated for the an Excellence in Concrete Award. Fingers crossed and hope to see you there!

During the exhibit, participants will see the product in a variety of practical and artistic forms, as well as engaging with digital displays and interactive activities. Presentations will be given on a rolling basis, happening approximately once an hour. We look forward to seeing you there! 

 Visit us at stand CE333 to learn about how our patented recycled plastic void former system decarbonises concrete construction and can be used for lots of other exciting things too. We look forward to seeing you there!

On the 27th of February 2023, ROBOVOID history was made with the first use of ROBOVOID on a real life project in Mumbai. Thank you to all those for supported the effort, in particular Satguru Builders (JGB Builders LLP) who did the installation, and Magicrete who manufactured the planks. The ROBOVOID parts were made by us using 100% recycled plastic pellets supplied by GT Recycling.

Based on a full scale 3 storey fire spread test according to AS5113 and BS8414:2, conducted at Warrington Fire's test facility in Melbourne, RMIT have certified the system as being compliant and is thus suitable for tall building constructions.

In the video link above it can be seen that the fire self-extinguishes once the heat source is removed.

 Compared to normal reinforced concrete sandwich façade panels, ROBOVOID façade panels are typically 75mm thinner, use 35% less concrete and can achieve R-values in excess of 5 Km2/W (28 °F⋅ft2⋅h/BTU). So developers can gain more floor area within the same building envelope. 

Please make sure your building has a fire safe facade to avoid a Grenfell type catastrophe like this  https://youtu.be/KczK1kGhp1I

 "An experimental and numerical analysis of the fire resistance of concrete

elements incorporating ROBOVOID void formers", Structures Journal, The Institution of Structural Engineers, Volume 47, January 2023, Pages 2452-2464 

 A ROBOVOID ground slab, which uses 30% less concrete than conventional ground slabs, was tested with a point load of more than 2 tonnes applied for 24 hours with no sign of cracking.

 Excited to announce we have been awarded a $300k Circular Economy Markets Fund: Materials grant from the Victorian Government through Sustainability Victoria for our "Commercialisation of novel ROBOVOID solution for concrete applications" which will progress our patented 100% recycled plastic solution for concrete structures to market.

Robovoid participates in the CIC Construction Innovation Expo in Hong Kong. We were excited to meet many industry players, including government bodies, construction companies, engineering consultancies, architects and academics.

Robovoid participates in the Concrete Institute of Australia Event "Updates in Sustainable Concrete Infrastructure & Trade Exhibition" at Swinburne University of Technology. It was a great opportunity to demonstrate our technology to the CIA network.

Robovoid has become a bronze member of the Concrete Institute of Australia. We look forward to collaborating with CIA members to decarbonise concrete construction.

Chinese patent no. ZL 2019 8 0036980. 1 which underpins the ROBOVOID void former solution has been granted by the China National Intellectual Property Administration.

Sustainability Victoria announces funding of our collaborative research project with Swinburne University and GT Recycling. Over 1 million beds per year are bought and disposed of per year so this project is seeking to utilise recycled plastic to develop a truly circular economy solution.

ROBOVOID attended ECOLOGIQ's conference in September which aims to catalyse sustainable infrastructure construction on the Victorian government's "BIG BUILD".

US patent no. 11,352,789 which underpins the ROBOVOID void former solution has been granted by the US patent office.

"The thermal resistivity of concrete façade elements containing novel recycled plastic void formers: An experimental and numerical investigation", authored by Dr Thomas Loh and Dr Kate Nguyen of RMIT University and Dr John Stehle of ROBOVOID has been published in the Journal of Building Engineering.

Warrington Fire, under the supervision of Dr Kate Nguyen of RMIT University has successfully tested a 275mm thick ROBOVOID slab and achieved a 4 hour fire rating.

Sustainability Victoria has awarded Swinburne University R&D grant funding to develop an innovative recycled plastic bed solution in collaboration with ROBOVOID and GT Recycling.

Over 200 small scale tests conducted at Swinburne University and RMIT University have demonstrated the excellent performance capabilities of ROBOVOID technology at small scale.

Case study report on research undertaken by Swinburne University, ROBOVOID and GT Recycling with Sustainability Victoria support

ROBOVOID has commissioned an automated injection moulding production cell, including robotic product handling, in collaboration with Geetha Engineering and Sagacious.

Robovoid has featured in an AMTIL publication regarding the use of additive manufacturing in developing its production process.

Robovoid has been awarded CRCp8 grant funding from the Australian federal government and is now proceeding with research and development  of the solution towards commercialisation in collaboration with its partners.

Sustainability Victoria has awarded a grant to Swinburne University in order to explore the use of recycled plastic in void former components.

AMTIL has awarded Robovoid a voucher in order to explore the use of additive manufacturing in prototype injection moulding tools.