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posted by Fnord666 on Friday March 16 2018, @09:15PM   Printer-friendly
from the got-a-little-Z-banding-going-on dept.

A startup is 3D printing houses in under a day at a cost of about $10,000 each, and hopes to get it down to $4,000 each:

ICON has developed a method for printing a single-story 650-square-foot house out of cement in only 12 to 24 hours, a fraction of the time it takes for new construction. If all goes according to plan, a community made up of about 100 homes will be constructed for residents in El Salvador next year. The company has partnered with New Story, a nonprofit that is vested in international housing solutions. "We have been building homes for communities in Haiti, El Salvador, and Bolivia," Alexandria Lafci, co-founder of New Story, tells The Verge.

[...] Using the Vulcan printer, ICON can print an entire home for $10,000 and plans to bring costs down to $4,000 per house. "It's much cheaper than the typical American home," Ballard says. It's capable of printing a home that's 800 square feet, a significantly bigger structure than properties pushed by the tiny home movement, which top out at about 400 square feet. In contrast, the average New York apartment is about 866 square feet.

The model has a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and a curved porch. "There are a few other companies that have printed homes and structures," Ballard says. "But they are printed in a warehouse, or they look like Yoda huts. For this venture to succeed, they have to be the best houses." The use of cement as a common material will help normalize the process for potential tenants that question the sturdiness of the structure. "I think if we were printing in plastic we would encounter some issues."

Also at Fortune, Wired, and BGR.


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  • (Score: 2) by bobthecimmerian on Saturday March 17 2018, @01:13PM

    by bobthecimmerian (6834) on Saturday March 17 2018, @01:13PM (#654046)

    I've read other articles about this technology, and if I remember right they pause construction at various heights to allow plumbing to be run and at other heights for electrical conduit and wiring to be run. They also leave gaps in the wall for blown insulation. And the roof was separate large pieces that can be dropped into place and quickly nailed or welded together. So run the printer, pause for the plumbing team, run it again, pause for the electrical team, stop, blow in insulation, add windows, assemble roof.

    And remember they're targeting third world locations like shanty towns in El Salvador, not vacant lots in New York City. So they probably don't need permits or inspections, and the cost of labor for the parts that aren't 3D printed are a fraction of what they would be in the US. They'll never reach that $10,000 price - let alone the $4,000 price - here. Maybe they could reach it in Haiti.

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