3D Printing In Construction About To Go Mainstream

Over the last year, I put together articles at times covering the advancement of the 3D printing industry, especially as it applies to construction.

There are a number of projects that took place around the world. Some of the structures were an office building, a housing community, and even a concept for a Mars home.

Most of these were proof of concept projects.

Now, we are seeing one that is completely different. It is a commercial project that is designed to be used upon completion. The company behind the project expects to make money off the building.


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In Germany, the companies Peri Group and COBOD are building a 3 story apartment complex. It is over 4,000 square feet and contains 5 units. Unlike a project in China where the walls were printed off site and moved, this apartment will be constructed completely on site.

Bringing 3D printing into the mainstream of the construction industry is a worthwhile goal, because the technology saves on all kinds of costs while still yielding safe, durable structures. It’s also much faster than traditional construction methods, making it a prime tool for situations like disaster relief where dwellings need to go up quickly and cheaply.

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The printing process is expected to take about 6 weeks.

In my view, this is a major step forward. Advancements like this will help to bring 3D printing in construction mainstream. What is really exciting is the fact that things can move very quickly.

All of this falls under informational technology. While these printers are construction feats themselves, they are digital in nature and driven by software. This means that the progress forward is going to experience exponential impacts.

I am reminded of the path we took in the 1990s and 2000s with regular printers. The early ones were large, slow, clunky, and expensive. They are rather primitive compared to what showed up in less than a decade.

It is likely we will see a similar jump in 3D printers, especially in the construction industry. Over the next couple years, there will be a race for "bragging rights" where companies vie for the title of building the largest project.

This will help to advance the entire industry as companies push the boundaries of innovation further out.

Again, I am reminded of 2D printing. By the mid 1990s, laser color printing was possible. Yet the print speeds were slow and both machine/supplies were expensive. We see the same thing with 3D printing in general where the material sciences is enabling new printing supplies to be used.

Over the next few years, we will experience a duplication of 20+ years ago in the 3D printing world.

All of this will help to bring down construction costs while also providing more speed in the industry. Out of this, more buildings will be provided for lower costs. It should end up going exponential in the middle of the decade.

Here is a video of printer in Germany.

This is a space that is getting very interesting. By the end of this decade, it will be interesting to see what housing construction costs drop to.


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Interesting. A second outcome is the reduction in relatively unskilled construction labor but an increase in coders and techies. The world is changing fast and the working man is going to be finding it harder and harder to compete against machines and geeks.

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A second outcome is the reduction in relatively unskilled construction labor but an increase in coders and techies.

Yes low skilled labor is going to take a hit. We see that across many industries.

As for the coders and geeks, this is actually, with this technology, where the output is derived directly from the digital file. The architects generate it and the machine will end up printing it out.

I am sure at this point file conversion is required since uniform standards are not adopted yet.

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This indeed shows more on why technological advancement will always be sought. Watching the movie shows how swift and easy building a building could be and also how safe it could also be while saving much time.

The only problem I have is that the machine will keep replacing the human force their bye increasing the unemployment population rate. The machine was virtually handling close to 10 to 15 jobs with just one operator.

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The only problem I have is that the machine will keep replacing the human force their bye increasing the unemployment population rate. The machine was virtually handling close to 10 to 15 jobs with just one operator.

Very astute observation and one that I think is grossly overlooked. Yes people are aware that jobs are being eliminated by automation. However, they still hold onto the idea that technology always creates more jobs than it destroys. The problem I have with this is the pace.

As you point out, this one machine might take out 10-15 jobs. I do not know how many work a job site setting the "structure" of the house but there always seems to be a lot of people when the cinder blocks are being laid. This can do it with a couple of people.

Corporations have incentive to automate so it is coming. The only question is what are people going to do about it? Expecting it to stop or slow down is not going to happen.

After all, technology is what allows us to progress as a society.

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I really like this development. A couple of years ago Amsterdam had the first printed bridge.
But it's not only the construction industry that benefits from 3D printers.

3D printers make large stocks unnecessary because items can be printed on demand. They are used on oil rigs for example, but what to think in space. The possibilities are immense.
Also the health industry benefits from it. I've read articles about printed skulls caps and printed prosthetics.
As kids grow they need new prostheses almost every year. By printing these with a 3D printer these costs can be 20 times less.
https://www.amputee-coalition.org/3d-printed-prosthetics/#:~:text=A%20prosthetic%20hand%20can%20cost,for%20as%20little%20as%20%2450.&text=In%20the%20meantime%2C%20technology%20is,to%20participate%20in%20their%20design

I hope this development soon become more affordable.

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Without a doubt, 3D printing is a lot wider than construction. However, I was just focusing upon this market since it is one of the largest ones that still operates basically how it did 4 or 5 decades ago.

This means it is primed for disruption which 3D printing certainly does. Over time, as the technology advances, the pace of disruption within the industry, will accelerate. This will, in my opinion, start to push prices down at a serious pace once it hits.

Construction is now under the laws of information technology meaning we can see similar effects as computerization and communications.

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