THE PIKUS STORY
The adventures of a few that fulfilled the dreams of many.
Making A New Path Forward
If there was one thing that Rob Pikus excelled at, it was doing things larger than life. As an outside-of-the-box thinker, he was driven to progress, to find the next big adventure and go for it, full throttle. After having spent 23 years in the concrete industry, Rob was tired. He wanted concrete to be better. To move past the centuries-old construction methods and into the future of building. Being the go-getter he was, he didn’t hesitate to jump into the thick and find the tech needed to make progress.
The adventure began in 2016. With the emergence of small-scale 3D-printed buildings, Rob decided to look into other methods of 3D-printing concrete. Over the next year Rob devised a plan to collaborate with several large concrete distributors and inventors across the world. Taking his knowledge, awareness, and experience of the concrete industry with him, Rob hopped on a flight to Europe.
The Tour of Europe. That’s what he called it. With several close friends behind him, Rob hopped on a flight to Europe to find the right company to develop Pikus 3D, visiting 10 countries in 6 days. There was so much to do in so little time.
“You have to go after the future because if you don’t you will always be stuck in the past.”
The very last country that the crew visited was Switzerland. After days of being rejected and having meetings with so many companies, the Pikus crew met with one of the world’s largest construction suppliers - Sika. Sika Switzerland was in the beginning stages of development for a 3D concrete printing system. They had a large crew, including robotics engineers, chemists, and product developers. The only thing they didn’t have was a market strategy.
This is where Pikus comes into play. Pikus knew that if they could pool their resources with Sika’s, then a successful company would be born. It would be a perfect partnership. Sika would have a market for their 3D mix and Pikus would be able to be at the forefront of the 3D printing revolution. This would be the first 3D printing concrete-like material to be fully realized and implemented in the USA.
The green light was lit. Rob began to travel to Switzerland regularly to aid in the development of the 3D printing systems. The product was rallied behind and in 2019 the Pikus 3D team began to come together. The crew was small but determined. A 3D designer, a printing specialist, and a project manager all came onto the project and began the process to build Pikus into what it is today.
Creating a new product is not easy, especially in an industry as old as construction. It was going to take a lot of effort to make this small niche become the norm, but nothing could deterr Rob. With a great amount of effort, the chemists had finally created a concrete-like mixture that would go on to be known as 3D poly-grout. This versitile mix allowed for rapid concrete printing with some amazing results.
Trials and Errors
The prints started pouring in. From benches to columns to walls there was a whole host of possibilities for 3D fabrication. It was finally time to bring the printer to the United States. In mid-2019 Rob began construction on the Pikus Warehouse. The building was put up faster than any other building around it because the printer would be arriving quickly. The building wasn’t finished when the printer arrived, but at least the walls were up!
Now that the printer and mortar were in the Pikus warehouse, it was time to begin fabricating. The team immediately began testing the limits of the printer, but not without issues. The printer would break, the prints would stop halfway, and problems would pop up with the chemicals. Despite these issues, the team pushed through and found solutions to every single problem. Because of these learning curves, Pikus has grown in the past seven years to become the fabrication powerhouse it is today.
Although Rob is no longer with us, Pikus has become a testament to his hard work and determination. Rob was a playful and adventurous spirit and that same soul shines through the fabric of our company. Pikus is successful because of Rob’s ability to look towards the future and be a problem solver. We at Pikus are honored to carry on his legacy and bring the same adventure to all who desire to work with us. We invite all to come to Pikus with their dream so that we can help to make your statement. To read more inspiring 3DPG stories, click here or connect with our team at create@pikus3d.com.
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Best Practices
Learn the best practices for designing in 3DPG. Get a clear overview of limitations, techniques to bypass limits, and more!
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Destruction
Learn how Pikus tests every product, from rigging connections to final attachments.
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The Pikus Adventure
Join Pikus on epic adventures, from hands on creation to destructive testing, Pikus always has fun.
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3DPG vs. CIP
Take an in-depth journey through the differences between Cast-in-Place construction practices and 3D-printed poly-grout.
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Making Your Statement
How architects can fabricate their dream creations while making a positive impact on their community.
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Project Charlie
Why we didn’t take on Project Charlie and what we learned about the incredible possibilities of 3D poly-grout.
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CES Courses
In conjunction with ASLA, Pikus is proud to offer exciting new courses to help guide architects through the process of 3D Printing statement pieces. Architects will be brought on a 3D printing adventure with the Pikus team.
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Product Catalog
Download the latest Pikus Product Catalog to see the top-rated designs for all of our products, plus updated product information and design options.
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Sandbox Experience
To foster creativity and an understanding of the 3D printing process, Pikus invites architects to join us in our Sandbox. This three-hour-long experience will take architects through the process of clay modeling, 3DPG printing, and a fully immersed design-to-print experience.
