A striking new landmark now stands in the Jhansi Cantonment, bringing together India’s military legacy and the fast-rising world of digital construction. Simpliforge, a Hyderabad-based deeptech firm, along with researchers from IIT Hyderabad, has built the country’s first and largest 3D-printed Military Insignia Entrance Arch. Modelled in the form of a commanding tiger face, the structure reflects the strength, courage and spirit associated with the Indian Armed Forces.
The arch is hard to miss. It measures 5.7 metres in length, 3.2 metres in width and 5.4 metres in height. What makes it more remarkable is how it was built. Simpliforge used its robotic arm-based 3D concrete printing system to shape the entire structure, layer by layer. For India’s defence infrastructure, which traditionally relies on conventional and time-intensive forms of construction, this marks a major shift toward faster, more flexible and more experimental building technologies.
The entrance leads into an indoor sports arena inside the cantonment, giving the structure both symbolic and functional purpose. For everyone who walks through it, the tiger form sets the tone: a reminder of discipline, unity and the legacy of those who serve.
The project began as an idea under the leadership of Colonel Akhil Singh Charak, who wanted an entrance that carried emotional weight along with architectural character. He worked with IIT Hyderabad’s civil engineering expert, Prof. K. V. L. Subramaniam, and the Simpliforge team to translate that vision into a digital model, and then a physical structure.
Colonel Charak says the arch represents far more than an engineering achievement. To him, it is a tribute to the values that define the Army. “This entrance is more than just a structure. It carries the ethos of our forces: Naam, Namak, Nishan. What began as a bold idea to capture the spirit of bravery and honour has now taken physical form. This entrance reflects our legacy, our pride and the forward-looking mindset of the Indian Army,” he says. He also acknowledges the expertise of IIT Hyderabad and Simpliforge in pushing 3D printing forward in the defence space.
The design process involved challenges that conventional construction would have struggled to meet. The tiger face needed to look fluid, detailed and three-dimensional without compromising strength. Prof. Subramaniam explains that advanced 3D concrete printing opened the door to a form that would be almost impossible with traditional methods. The team worked with locally available raw materials and created a special printable concrete mix suited to the geometry. “The tiger façade shows how digital fabrication helps us rethink structural design beyond usual limits. The combination of material science and 3D printing lets us create complex shapes that are both structurally stable and visually expressive,” he says.
For Simpliforge, the project tested the agility and precision of its robotic printing system. The team printed the entire structure in just 45 days. Founder and COO Faizan Chaudhary describes the atmosphere on-site as energising. “It wasn’t just another project. It was a chance to contribute to a legacy. Seeing the tiger rise layer by layer was surreal,” he says. Chaudhary believes this work reinforces the company’s mission of pushing construction into a faster, more creative, technology-driven era. “We want to build structures that carry meaning and beauty, but also demonstrate what engineering and speed can achieve together.”
The arch now stands as proof of what collaboration between researchers, engineers and the Armed Forces can produce. It signals a future where defence infrastructure may increasingly rely on digital tools, quicker construction cycles and more experimental forms. And in Jhansi, the tiger-shaped gateway has already become a conversation starter—a bold reminder of how tradition and technology can meet on the same ground.
