IACC NODE, Lamáquina enable functional 3D printed composite boat

Source | IACC NODE

NODE, a multidisciplinary student team from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC, Barcelona, Spain), has announced the successful completion of autonomous surface vessel (ASV) Asket, the group’s first project that is participating in the Njord 2025 Autonomous Ship Championship. The one-piece additive manufactured composite vessel was enabled by large-scale 3D printing center Lamáquina (Barcelona, Spain).

This student-led design project was engineered by Lamáquina to create a full functional, innovative vessel. Constructed from fiberglass-reinforced PETG, Asket was printed with a CEAD (Delft, Netherlands) E25 pellet extruder mounted on a KUKA (Augsburg, Germany) robotic arm at Lamáquina’s Barcelona facility. Measuring 141 centimeters in length, 67 centimeters in width and 28 centimeters in height, the boat was completed in under 10 hours, achieving complete watertightness without any postprocessing or assembly.
To enhance buoyancy and impact resistance, Asket’s base incorporates a custom solid infill pattern. Stability and performance are further optimized through variable wall thickness — 7.5 millimeters at the bottom for a low center of gravity, tapering to 5.5 millimeters at the top to reduce weight. This gradient improves both balance and material efficiency.

Advanced active layer time management was employed throughout printing. Robotic speed and extrusion flow were dynamically adjusted in real time to maintain consistent thermal conditions, ensuring strong interlayer adhesion while preventing warping or deformation.

This production exemplifies the potential of large-scale, functional 3D printing for marine applications.