Additive manufacturing (AM) has been getting a lot of attention over the years, with its use in construction a recurring theme. Generally this brings to mind massive 3D printers that are carted to construction sites and assemble entire homes on the spot. That’s the perspective with which a recent ZDNet article by [Rajiv Rao] opens, before asking whether AM in construction is actually solving any problems. As [Rajiv] notes, the main use of such on-site AM construction is for exclusive, expensive designs, such as ICON’s House Zero which leans into the extruded concrete printing method.
Their more reasonable Wolf Ranch residential homes in Texas also use ICON’s Vulcan II printer to print walls out of concrete, with a roof, electrical wiring, plumbing, etc. installed afterwards. Prices for these Wolf Ranch 3 to 4 bedroom houses range from about $450,000 to $600,000, and ICON has been contracted by NASA to work a way to 3D print structures on the Moon out of regolith.
3D printed home by WASP out of clay. (Credit: WASP)
Naturally, none of these prices are even remotely in the range of the first-home buyers, or the many economically disadvantaged who make up a sizable part of the population in the US and many other nations in the Americas, Africa, etc. To make AM in construction economically viable, it would seem that going more flatpack and on-site assembly is the way to go, using the age-old pre-fabrication (prefab) method of con ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
