Contour 3D’s journey began in early 2020, when founder Nick Holden spotted a glaring gap in Australia’s housing sector: no one yet offers reliable, large-scale concrete printing. Determined to slash build times and curb material waste, he converted a modest workshop in Sydney’s southern suburbs into a makeshift lab. There, Nick and a small team of engineers retrofit desktop 3D printers to trial concrete mixes, working handin-glove with hardware and software specialists to push beyond off-the-shelf limits. From those first prototypes to today’s fourth-generation gantry printers, every iteration reflects months of relentless in-house testing and refinement. When COVID-19 lockdowns hit in March 2020, many construction firms struggled with disrupted supply chains and rising costs. For Contour 3D, the timing proved serendipitous: “We saw an opportunity to address housing affordability through automation,” says Shayne Jessiman, the company’s general manager. “While others slowed down, we accelerated our R&D.” The Contour 3D team leveraged remote collaboration tools to continue development, and by mid-2021 they landed their first high-profile assignment: printing a 70 m² pool cabana live on national television for The Block. That high-stakes pilot, completed under tight deadlines and public scrutiny, validates their approach—and cements Contour 3D’s reputation for reliability under pressure. Today, Contour 3D operates primarily out of a 30,000 m² facility south of Sydney, where printers are assembled, materials are batched and final calibrations take place. The company fields weekly inquiries from residential clients, local councils and government agencies eager to trial 3D-printed THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE AUSTRALIA
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