Atlas Building Composites has developed an AI-powered robotic manufacturing platform that turns single-use plastic waste into structural building materials, MIT reported. The startup uses waterless recycling and large-scale additive manufacturing to combine shredded plastic bottles with American-made fiberglass, producing composite components stronger than wood.
The technology originated within MIT HAUS, a research project started in 2019 by MIT research scientist A.J. Perez and David Hardt, the Ralph E. and Eloise F. Cross Professor in Manufacturing. Perez partnered with former Maine senator Matt Pouliot to commercialize the system through MIT’s Technology Licensing Office, subsequently working with researchers across multiple universities to develop the hardware platform.
In testing at MIT, the system printed large structural trusses in under 13 minutes that withstood loads exceeding 4,000 pounds. Experimental setups produced 60 to 80 pounds of composite parts per hour, while Atlas specifies that commercial factory units will process 150 to 200 pounds per hour. Each manufacturing cell can fabricate the framing materials for approximately one small home each day, printing parts in reverse order so they land sequentially on adjacent pallets.
The resulting materials currently support structures including barns, sheds, decks, and docks. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also used the startup's recycled trusses to assemble a 40-foot bridge across a Massachusetts wetland, completing the installation in less than a single day.
Atlas is now holding discussions with international franchise partners to deploy the robotic manufacturing platform abroad, MIT reported.
