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Palfinger and ICON partner on large-scale construction robots. March 12, 2026 Crane and lifting solutions company Palfinger has announced a strategic technology collaboration with ICON, a US based robotic 3D printing construction firm, to advance large-size robots. Palfinger has announced a strategic technology collaboration with ICON, a robotic 3D printing construction firm. Image: Palfinger Palfinger says that the collaboration marks an important step in extending its expertise into large-size robotics and digital manufacturing, opening up new opportunities at the intersection of construction, automation and industrial production. The two companies say that they will explore how robotic 3D printing can transform construction by increasing efficiency, safety and sustainability. Palfinger says that its Special Lifting Solutions enables the precise positioning, stability and scalability required for large-size robotic 3D printing systems. By combining ICON's advanced 3D printing technology with Palfinger's engineering know-how, the collaboration lays the foundation for scalable solutions that address global megatrends such as labour scarcity, sustainability and the growing demand for affordable housing. "This partnership with ICON demonstrates how Palfinger is systematically expanding its capabilities beyond traditional applications," said Alexander Susanek, COO of Palfinger. "By combining our expertise in large-size lifting and handling systems with ICON's pioneering 3D printing technology, we are opening up new industrial applications and strengthening our position in the field of large-size robots and automation." As part of the collaboration, Palfinger is contributing to the 'Titan' system, a large-size robot system derived from its core crane and machinery technologies. Titan enables the automated printing of structures of up to 27 feet in height and supports multi-level construction. The system is designed for continuous 24/7 operation and integrates modular components, stabilisers and crawler systems. Initial prototypes of the Titan system have already been successfully tested. The solution significantly reduces building costs compared to conventional construction methods and enables faster project execution with fewer and safer labour requirements.

U.S. Army awards ICON a $62.8M production contract for new series of 3D-printed barracks at Fort Bliss in west Texas. AUSTIN, TX, January 15, 2026 - ICON, a leader in advanced construction technologies and large-scale 3D printing, announced today that it has been awarded a production Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement by the U.S. Army for $62.8 million. The contract calls for ICON to 3D print ten additional transient training barracks at Fort Bliss United States Army Post in El Paso, TX, marking the largest deployment of robotic construction technology and 3D-printed buildings for the Department of War (DOW) to date. Building on ICON's nearly 8,000-square-foot, UFC-compliant 3D-printed barracks completed at Fort Bliss in 2025, this project showcases how emerging construction technologies are transforming Army infrastructure delivery. While traditional barracks projects can take years to complete, ICON will deliver ten fully compliant barracks in just six months - providing high-quality housing at the speed required to support today's service members and mission readiness. "This project represents what the barracks of the future should be - durable, resilient, and purpose-built around the needs of the service members who live and train in them," said Bella Nowland, Director at ICON. "By bringing construction-scale 3D printing into full production at Fort Bliss, we're demonstrating how advanced construction technologies can deliver higher-quality facilities faster, with greater consistency and long-term value for the U.S. Army. This is not just about speed or scale, but about meeting the Army's needs in a way that supports mission readiness and delivers a high quality of life for the men and women who serve." The award follows a successful prototype contract with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in partnership with the U.S. Army's Installation Management Command (IMCOM) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The Fort Bliss project follows the DIU contract's resulting success memo on the project, and represents the transition from prototype to production for construction-scale additive construction on a major Army installation. The award continues ICON's work across the U.S Government (USG) and DoW to improve building quality and reduce building time and expenses. To date, ICON has been awarded more than $170 million in government contracts and has teamed with various departments including the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and Texas Military Department to 3D print military vehicle hide structures, innovation centers, commercial buildings, and barracks that have seen over 50,000 soldier nights. ICON's work with the USG also includes research and development with DARPA and with NASA for space-based construction systems to build lunar infrastructure. ICON and its government partners have invested tens of millions of dollars in advanced R&D projects to create breakthrough construction, robotic, and software technologies. These include, 3D-printing in sub-zero temperatures, investigating the use of local materials in international geographies, developing software to advance the design and construction of secure facilities, 3D-printing under water and designing explosion-proof task robots. These efforts support DoW's Critical Technology Areas, specifically Contested Logistics Technologies, through the deployment of robotic technology in expeditionary settings. The Army's effort continues to advance the use of 3D printing technology across the DoW to deliver barracks faster and more efficiently compared to traditional construction. Key to this is replacing temporary barracks and structures that are beyond their intended lifespan with more energy resilient permanent structures that have reduced lifecycle costs. The DoW and ICON have validated 3D printing as a military construction solution through 65+ full-scale wall tests, 100+ component tests of the ICON wall system and with further full-scale tests planned in 2026 to advance the state-of-the-art in seismic design for 3D-printed structures. ICON is a construction technology company developing robotic and AI systems to lower the cost and increase the speed and quality of construction to tackle the global housing crisis and prepare to build on other worlds. As a pioneer of large-scale 3D printing, ICON continually sets new standards for delivering resilient, dignified housing and recently unveiled Titan, a radical new robotic printer that enables multi-story construction, a new low-carbon building material, a digital catalog for residential architecture, and advanced software for home design and construction. Using proprietary 3D printing robotics, software and advanced materials, ICON is shifting the paradigm of homebuilding on Earth and beyond.

Another partner, ICON, also a US-based technology company specialising in 3D printing for construction, is developing a robotic system known as Olympus, which is designed to use lunar and Martian regolith as raw material.