Why you don’t have a 3D printed house yet
What is one of the most important things in this world? Time and money. But you know who doesn’t manage them efficiently? Me. Well, construction crews as well. In the midst of the 21st century, the housing shortage is more important than ever! But what if I told you that there is already a solution, a technology that was developed 2 decades ago. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is the future of housing. My article will cover all these topics from how it works to its benefits and sustainability in 10 minutes or less. Read on to learn more.
What is 3D printing and how does it work?
Do you wonder how professionals create a sketch, and a week later, it’s a literal physical thing sitting in their office? It’s a pretty simple 4 step process. Step 1: make whatever you’re thinking of in 3D software, like Fusion 360, Blender, or whatever platform you prefer.
Step 2: Import your 3D object as a .stl object (Standard Triangle Language) file to a slicer platform. Personally, I use Ultimaker Cura. Step 3: slice your object into layers of commands for your 3D printer or G-code.
Lastly, import your G-code onto an SD card and input it into your 3D printer. Personally, I use an FDM printer (Fused Deposition Modeling), the most common form of home printer type. Of course, 3D printers come in all shapes and sizes. There’s the SLS printer (Selective Laser Sintering), a much harder machine to operate, the resign/SLA printer (Stereolithography), and much more. But, I will focus on large-scale construction 3D printers in this article. How does what I wrote apply?
The Benefits of 3D printed housing
3D-printed housing isn’t new. In fact, ICON, a 3D housing company, has built an entire neighborhood in Georgetown, Texas.
Many companies have done 3D printed housing, for example, Contour Crafting Corporation, Apis Cor, ICON, DUS, WinSun… Currently, 3D-printed houses aren’t that special. They have similar costs to a normal house. But, 3D printing has great potential. For example, only 3 to 4 construction workers are needed to complete projects, and women and the elderly can also be employed. Labour costs decrease by 50–80%, construction waste also decreases by 30–60%[1]. As an added bonus, the printing part is a wet process, which means 0 noise and dust in the air. The 3D printer can create round bends for walls instead of rigid corners. The advantages of a round wall includes being more resistant to high winds and earthquakes as the lack of sharp edges distributes forces evenly[2]. Lastly, the same house that could take a crew of 20 construction workers to build in 3–6 months takes less than a week for a 3D printer and 3 workers. Compared to conventional construction, 3D printing is already in the lead.
If 3D printing has so many benefits, why isn’t it already replacing conventional methods?
There are a number of reasons why, but the most important is related to material. Concrete reaches maximum strength at 28 days of drying[3]. The construction workers of a 3D-printed house must consider how heavy the bottom layer can support it when printing. Currently, the construction must be stopped every 5–10 layers for the concrete to dry.
Additionally, there is a great concern about the number of jobs available after 3D printing takes over the market, though several companies promised to train local workers to be able to operate the machine. Lastly, 3D printing technology cannot yet spurt out the wiring, pipes, furniture, paint, and other necessities, raising the cost. For example, ICON’s project in Georgetown, Texas costs more than 450 grand per building, 1125% more than the estimated 40 grand costs, including all the furniture and, plumping, lighting… but is still subpar to the average local cost. Due to these reasons, 3D is not yet the most common form of construction.
Currently existing Projects
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What, you thought there wouldn’t be any existing projects because of some setbacks? Well, you thought wrong. The first ever 3D printed wall was made by Contour Crafting Corporation, led by Behrokh Khoshnevis. They were the innovators who started the disruptive innovation movement, that is, 3D printed housing.
Another company, Apis Cor, built two houses in Russia’s harshest winter in less than 24 hours for around 10 grand, and were given to a veteran and the military. Another company, DUS, printed out parts for a 3D home and assembled them, creating the 3D-printed Canal House in Amsterdam.
As I mentioned before, ICON is printing a whole neighborhood in Georgetown, Texas. MCA (Mario Cucinella Architects), printed an eco-sustainable dirt/clay home, TECLA, made directly from dirt/clay locally sourced, and has created a self-assembly kit, WASP, to create your own. These are just some of the amazing projects I discovered during my research. I encourage you to search them up yourself.
The Sustainability
The sustainability between 3D-printed houses and conventional building methods is at a standstill. Unless 3D-printed houses stop following conventional rules, using Portland concrete to print the builds, it will continue to be at a standstill. Studies have shown that sustainability can be increased by 90% compared to conventional methods if the concrete used for the printing is changed, which is possible as a project in China used concrete infused with glass to make their building extra stable. As a side note, exploiting materials and transportation used to make concrete is a major contributor to climate change.[4] TECLA is a great example of a sustainable home, as I mentioned above.
In conclusion
Well, you made it to the end. 3D-printed housing is no longer a thing of the future. As innovation progresses, more and more houses will use 3D printing technologies to reduce costs, improve productivity, increase sustainability, and lessen the stress of the housing shortage. The wonders of additive manufacturing are endless; we’ll one day be printing stuff on the moon! What might the future behold? One can only wonder. Personally, I hope that printing in the Z axis with drones will become a reality.
TL:DR
Introduction: The housing shortage is more relevant than ever.
What is 3D printing: 3D printing, a.k.a additive manufacturing, is a form of construction that allows users to create 3 dimensional objects from scratch.
The benefits of 3D printed houses: 3D printed houses can decrease labor and material costs, reduce construction accidents and pollution, increase sustainability, and reduce construction time.
Why we aren’t living in 3D printed homes: current technology slows down the process e.gThe material takes too long to dry, so I can’t print pipes, wiring, or furniture… All these inconveniences also increase the costs of the buildings.
Currently existing projects: Some existing projects include the Russian houses printed by Apis Cor, Georgetown, Texas neighborhood by ICON, TECLA by MCA (Mario Cucinella Architects), Canal House in Amsterdam by DUS, and more…
Sustainability: 3D printed housing can become very sustainable if we were to invent a new material that is less damaging to the environment like Portland concrete.
Conclusion: 3D printing is the future of housing. It can reduce cost, time, increase sustainability, and more.
Sources:
[1] Mehmet, S. (2017, October 23) 3D Printing of Buildings: Construction of the Sustainable Houses of the Future. Retrieved Oct 25, 2023, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610217346969?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=81bec206d815369d
[2] The Science of Round Buildings by Mandala Custom Homes. Retrieved October 25, 2023, from https://www.mandalahomes.com/uncategorized/science-round-buildings/#:~:text=The%20acoustics%20of%20a%20circular,interior%20from%20loud%20outside%20noise.
[3] Steven, H. K., & Beatrix, K., & William, C. P. (2017, October 23) Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures 14th edition. Retrieved October 25, 2023, from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Steven-Kosmatka/publication/284663491_Design_and_Control_of_Concrete_Mixtures/links/5655d8f908aefe619b1c5f2b/Design-and-Control-of-Concrete-Mixtures.pdf
[4] Hadeer, A., & Kazi, P. F., & Mohamed, A., & Adil, K. T. (2021, October 29) Environmental Footprints and Economics of a Full-Scale 3D-Printed House. Retrieved October 25, 2023, from https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/21/11978
