N.C. State, Lehigh, Alabama teams top PCI Big Beam Competition

Sources: Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago; CP staff A North Carolina State University student team, guided by faculty advisor Gregory Lucier and member producer Tindall Corp., took the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute 2024 Engineering Design Competition. Now in its 24th and better known as Big Beam, the event challenges college or university students to fabricate and test 20-ft. structural members. Teams are judged…

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Mapei adds Denver admixture plant, first of five set through mid-2025

Sources: Mapei Corp., Deerfield Beach, Fla.; CP staff Colorado is the first stop in a rapid expansion plan through which Mapei Corp. aims to extend concrete admixture production and distribution across the U.S. The company’s new 32,000-sq.-ft. facility in Denver features advanced mixing, batching, laboratory and quality control technology, plus warehousing. It joins existing Mapei North America admixture plants in…

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Walmart validates 3D-printed concrete on store addition’s 20-ft. wall 

Sources: Alquist 3D, Greeley, Colo.; CP staff Alquist 3D recently dispatched a concrete/mortar ink printer and crew to place a 20-ft. high enclosure for an 8,000-sq.-ft. addition to the Walmart Supercenter in Athens, Tenn. An articulating robot with 48-in. long, 1-in. diameter nozzle shuttled around each wall section perimeter, efficiently printing twin inner and outer layers with precision. The new…

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Concrete Pipe Week amplifies industry’s ‘Proven’ value propositions

Sources: American Concrete Pipe Association, Irving, Texas; CP staff The American Concrete Pipe Association will present one virtual plant tour and three webinars during Concrete Pipe Week 2024, September 22-28, while saluting governors and other public officials who formally recognize concrete drainage structures’ contributions to quality of life. “Proven,” the theme of this year’s event, frames the four presentations ACPA…

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