German PERI Group, a leading manufacturer of formwork and scaffolding systems, has reportedly acquired a significant minority stake in newly established construction 3D printing company COBOD International. The construction AM firm was established by Danish company 3D Printhuset in September of this year in an effort to refocus its construction AM business.

Companies within the sphere of traditional construction have been increasingly investing in additive manufacturing companies in recent years, and PERI’s investment in COBOD is the latest to demonstrate the 3D printing does and will have important applications in the construction sector.

With its minority stake in COBOD, PERI will offer the company’s BOD construction 3D printing technology to its own clients around the globe. The investment could therefore trigger significant growth for COBOD’s own business.

“We are very proud that PERI decided to invest in us,” said Henrik Lund-Nielsen, CEO of COBOD International. “This will really strengthen our company going forward. PERI has followed 3D construction printing intensively for several years. We are therefore extremely proud and pleased that they ended up concluding that we were the best company to invest in. PERI is globally the leading supplier of formwork for the construction industry and we are the leading supplier of equipment for automatic/3D printing of concrete. Together we represent the best of the existing technology and the best of the new.”

COBOD International (formerly known as 3D Printhuset), grabbed our attention in 2017 when it broke ground on the first 3D printed house in Copenhagen. The structure, known as the BOD House, was made using its BOD1 3D printer. This summer, the company announced an upgraded version of its construction 3D printer, the BOD2, capable of printing at a speed of up to 1000 mm/s. Notably, COBOD International was granted the first EU tender for a construction 3D printer.

“We have been closely following the development of 3D printing in the construction industry. With the current generation of 3D printer of COBOD, this technology is now definitely ready for the market,” added Leonhard Braig, member of the Group Management of the PERI Group. “We are convinced that 3D printing will become considerably more important in the coming years in certain segments of our industry, especially in residential construction. Together with COBOD, we now want to bring this technology to a breakthrough on a broad basis. Going forward, we are very pleased to be able to offer the best solution to our customers, whether manual or automatic, in cooperation with COBOD.”

Henrik Lund-Nielsen concluded: “Not only is this significant investment from PERI showing the potential of the 3D construction printing technology in general, but it also emphasizes the leading role our company has taken in a relatively short period of time. We look very much forward to working with PERI, the know-how, competence and resources they have and together move this exciting technology even further to the benefit of our customers.”

Full details of the investment have not been disclosed.