Inside India's first 3D printed post office in Bengaluru. Watch

India’s first 3D printed post office was inaugurated in Bengaluru today. A video shared by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who inaugurated the post office, shows how its construction was completed in just 45 days.

The post office was built with a robotic printer using 3D-printing technology that deposits concrete layer-by-layer in accordance with a computerised 3D model drawing input. Officials said the 3D-printed post office with a built-up area of 1,021 square feet involved a process requiring a delicate balance of concrete properties, including flowability, quick hardening for load-bearing capacity and sufficient strength to ensure successful printing.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s video also took viewers inside the post office, which is located at Cambridge Layout, Bengaluru. Take a look:
The 3D printed post office was constructed by Larsen & Toubro Limited while IIT Madras provided technical guidance.

The entire construction, including interiors, took about 45 days to complete. In contrast, constructing the same building by conventional methods would have taken six to eight months. Cost and time savings make 3D-concrete printing technology a viable alternative to conventional building practices, officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the post office as a testament to the nation's innovation and progress. PM Modi also said the post office embodies the spirit of a self-reliant India.