Mangrove 3D Explores Precast Concrete Applications with Progress Group’s Binder-Jet Technology

Greg Kerkstra, representing a family business deeply embedded in the precast concrete industry, is evaluating the commercial viability of additive construction using Progress Group’s large-format binder-jet technology. Unlike the more common extrusion-based concrete deposition methods, this approach leverages a binder-jetting process to bind aggregate materials layer by layer, enabling complex geometries and potentially different material economics. The exploration, detailed in a recent podcast, focuses on identifying viable products, application areas, and an effective go-to-market strategy for the technology within the existing precast concrete value chain.

This development is significant because it directly compares two competing process families within the additive construction segment: the dominant material extrusion (concrete deposition) method versus the emerging binder-jetting approach. The precast concrete industry, valued in the hundreds of billions globally, has traditionally relied on formwork, making it economically sensitive to tooling costs and geometric complexity. Kerkstra’s evaluation moves the debate from technical feasibility to service economics and ROI-specifically, whether binder-jetting can produce precast elements that are either cheaper, faster, or geometrically superior to traditional cast methods, and whether the post-processing requirements (curing, handling) align with factory workflows. Mangrove’s position is less as a hardware developer and more as an early adopter and application integrator, testing a real-world demand pull rather than a technology push.

From a practical standpoint, the industry should watch what products Kerkstra’s team chooses to commercialize and at what unit economics. The primary hurdle for binder-jet concrete AM has never been printability, but rather total system cost, material handling, and integration with existing precast facility logistics. Mangrove’s success will depend not on print speed alone, but on whether the process can compete on total cost per part against cast concrete for a specific, high-value subset of precast elements like architectural panels or complex formwork.