Firm 3D prints 10 full-sized houses in a day

[Hum]

SHANGHAI, April 25, (Xinhua) -- A private company in east China recently used a giant printer set to print out ten full-sized houses within just one day.

The stand-alone one-story houses in the Shanghai Hi-Tech Industrial Park look just like ordinary buildings. They were created using an intelligent printing array in east China's city of Suzhou.

The array consists of four printers that are 10 meters wide and 6.6 meters high and use multi-directional automated sprays. The sprays emit a combination of cement and construction waste that is used to print building walls layer-by-layer.

Ma Yihe, the inventor of the printers, said he and his team are especially proud of their core technology of quick-drying cement.

This technology allows for the printed material to dry rapidly. Ma has been cautious not to reveal the secrets of this technology.

Ma, who has been designing 3D printers for 12 years, said the new technology is cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

"To obtain natural stone, we have to employ miners, dig up blocks of stone and saw them into pieces. This badly damages the environment," Ma said.

"But with the 3D printing, we recycle mine tailings into usable materials. And we can print building with any digital design our customers bring us. It's fast and cheap," he said.

Buildings made with 3D printing technology can spare construction workers from having to work in hazardous, dusty environments, he said.

The printers can print multi-story houses, but Chinese building codes do not currently include standards for 3D-printed houses.

Quality checks are currently conducted by examining each piece of the structure as it is printed out.

Ma said he hopes his printers can be used to build skyscrapers in the future.

source

[xendrome]

Probably 4 flat walls, and 4 angled pieces for the roof.

 

Yep, in the video that's pretty much what it is - http://xhne.ws/wbGsZ

 

And honestly, I wouldn't consider this even printing, it's manufacturing and in my opinion pushing the definition of "printing"

[Hum]

And we can print building with any digital design our customers bring us.

 

[FiB3R]

Probably 4 flat walls, and 4 angled pieces for the roof.

 

Yep, in the video that's pretty much what it is - http://xhne.ws/wbGsZ

 

And honestly, I wouldn't consider this even printing, it's manufacturing and in my opinion pushing the definition of "printing"

Lacking some vision there, xendrome. As Hum quoted, practically any design could be printed.

And 3D printing is manufacturing.... democratised.

Dunno, you just seem to be coming across a bit negative, and not seeing the awesome potential of this. I mean, those basic builds apparently only cost $5k. This #### can and will change the world.

[pmrd]

Probably 4 flat walls, and 4 angled pieces for the roof.

 

Yep, in the video that's pretty much what it is - http://xhne.ws/wbGsZ

 

And honestly, I wouldn't consider this even printing, it's manufacturing and in my opinion pushing the definition of "printing"

[HawkMan]

Lacking some vision there, xendrome. As Hum quoted, practically any design could be printed.

And 3D printing is manufacturing.... democratised.

Dunno, you just seem to be coming across a bit negative, and not seeing the awesome potential of this. I mean, those basic builds apparently only cost $5k. This #### can and will change the world.

 

Call me when their houses are printed with proper walls that can be wired from the inside and with insulation and structural enough to stand up to modern Norwegian building certifications. 

[FiB3R]

Call me when their houses are printed with proper walls that can be wired from the inside and with insulation and structural enough to stand up to modern Norwegian building certifications. 

Will do.

[Bryan R.]

Call me when their houses are printed with proper walls that can be wired from the inside and with insulation and structural enough to stand up to modern Norwegian building certifications. 

I don't think the point is to compete with first-world standards.

[HawkMan]

I don't think the point is to compete with first-world standards.

 

 

oh so developing countries don't need houses that are isolated from cold or head, or that will survive earthquakes, severe storms or other natural disasters then...

[FiB3R]

They look like they could be insulated pretty easily, heck, they could add extra insulation during manufacture, like stuffing teddy bears. Support could be added if need be. Holes can be left out for wiring/plumbing. Interior/exterior can be lined/clad with whatever.

 

How are some people not seeing how easy this is?

[DocM]

Probably 4 flat walls, and 4 angled pieces for the roof.

Yep, in the video that's pretty much what it is - http://xhne.ws/wbGsZ

And honestly, I wouldn't consider this even printing, it's manufacturing and in my opinion pushing the definition of "printing"

Distinction without a difference. The proper term for industrial 3D printing IS "Additive Manufacturing."

http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/513716/additive-manufacturing/

[Turk.]

3D Printed House

[pallipdrsn0]

From this

 

 

to potentially wipe out entire industries is preeetttttyyy, preeettty, prettttyyy gooooddd

 

[ToneKnee]

This just the beginning, wait until the process gets better and this could seriously revolutionise housing development.

[Bryan R.]

I also think some people are vastly underrating the benefits of the material being made from recycled bits.

[Hum]

The use of recycled waste is a big plus.

[Gerowen]

I'd live in one of those.  Probably a lot more solid than the mobile homes most people around here live in.

[Gerowen]

Call me when their houses are printed with proper walls that can be wired from the inside and with insulation and structural enough to stand up to modern Norwegian building certifications. 

They are already hollow with support structures printed in, so there's your space for insulation, and as far as wiring goes all you'd have to do is lay down some PVC or steel pipe to accommodate the wiring while it was printing and just have the printer print over top of the pipe.

[srbeen]

Great news for earthquake regions. Imagine being able to rebuild cities in a few weeks.

 

I sort of wonder how wiring/water is ran, if the design leaves openings or you need to run it, case it, and hide it.

[n_K]

I'm going to have to agree with the neigh-sayers.

Do these buildings comply with any building regulations? Can they take punishment from bad weather? Do they even withstand rain or do they leak? Too many unanswered questions to know if this is worthwhile or not, but the recycled material usage is good.

[Marcos_Edson]

Those walls look way better than the ones being built down here using this type of brick... Heck, I even wonder if we are the only country that uses them or the similars which look equally cheap and weak...

 

[Hum]

I'm going to have to agree with the neigh-sayers.

Do these buildings comply with any building regulations? Can they take punishment from bad weather? Do they even withstand rain or do they leak? Too many unanswered questions to know if this is worthwhile or not, but the recycled material usage is good.

Better ban all tents then.

[n_K]

Better ban all tents then.

Tents aren't buildings and don't have to comply with building regulation, there's a huge difference between a house and a tent.

[XerXis]

Those walls look way better than the ones being built down here using this type of brick... Heck, I even wonder if we are the only country that uses them or the similars which look equally cheap and weak...

 

Those bricks are actually able to withstand a very heavy load. Not weak at all ;)

[zhangm Supervisor]

This isn't mean to fab 10 million dollar beachfront property. Not today, at least.

It is meant to demonstrate that you can feed raw materials into a machine and print out a rudimentary shelter, including spaces for insulation, plumbing, additional structural support, and electrical work. That's pretty good for technology that is in its infancy, and I think it's promising enough that one day, it will turn into something that can print more complex dwellings.

Technology in development is hard to appreciate. Want another example? Fiber optics. The early proofs of feasibility were barely that, and sucked compared to copper. It took a long time to mature, but now we can appreciate that it was something worth developing.