02 Jan The largest 3D printer: technology that changes the features of housing
Several 3D-printed homes have been built around the world, whether to provide housing for a family in Virginia or to support a poor community in rural Mexico. However, the world’s largest 3D-printed neighborhood appears to be under construction near Austin, Texas. The technology is particularly useful in Maine, where an estimated 80,000 new homes will need to be built by 2030 to address the housing shortage, according to a report last year by three state agencies. Habib Dagher, executive director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) at the University of Maine, believes 3D-printed homes will help solve two major problems in the United States: “People are having a hard time finding homes, because the prices are so high,” he said. “And we have an aging population, which means that the number of electricians, plumbers, and builders is declining.”
The world’s largest polymer 3D printer
He says he has the solution. Last month, ASCC unveiled what it claims is the world’s largest 3D printer. Dagher hopes the so-called “Factory of the Future 1.0” will help address the state’s housing crisis, as well as revolutionize the 3D printing industry.
Prefabricated homes in 48 hours using the largest 3D printer
In recent years, 3D printing has been used to create a variety of projects, from businesses to bridges to mosques. A nonprofit is building 3D-printed schools in conflict zones. Dubai has achieved a global feat by being recognized in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest 3D-printed structure, and aims to use the technology in 25% of new buildings by 2030.
Bioprinting: Sustainable Innovation
Most current printing processes rely on concrete, using a robotic arm with a nozzle to precisely lay down layers of wet concrete. While ASCC is developing the software, Dagher noted that their giant printer, and its predecessor that earned a Guinness World Record in 2019 for the largest 3D printer, are the only two printers capable of building homes using scrap wood. The technology has already been tested. In late 2022, the university announced the BioHome3D, a 600-square-foot single-family housing unit that is the world’s first 3D printer capable of building a 100 percent bioprinted home, using local wood fibers and bio-resin materials. “When you’re making concrete, you’re just printing the walls,” Dagher said. In the BioHome3D project, the floor, ceiling, and walls are all printed. He noted that concrete homes also have to be built on-site, which can be challenging, especially in a snowy winter in places like New England. When the weather is bad for two weeks straight, printing becomes impossible.
Capabilities of the largest 3D printer
The largest 3D printer can produce objects up to 96 feet long, 32 feet wide, and 18 feet high, and can print up to 500 pounds per hour. Dagher says the goal is to be able to print 1,000 pounds of material per hour. At that rate, he could recreate a 3D bio-printed home in 48 hours. Unlike concrete homes that quickly degrade in outdoor temperatures, bio-printed homes are better insulated and more attractive, Dagher says. He also notes that the homes are sustainable, as they can be recycled and ground up to be used to print new objects when they are no longer needed or if they are no longer wanted. ASCC is using wood scraps from Maine sawmills in its research, and aims to increase production by exploiting these local byproducts. The printer won’t replace traditional construction methods, but 3D-printed homes could potentially make up a larger percentage of the global housing stock in the future. He added that ASCC is currently working on how to integrate wiring and plumbing conduits into the locations the architect specifies into the printing process. The printer’s next big project is to create a neighborhood of nine homes for people experiencing homelessness. ASCC is partnering with a local NGO to design the structures, with printing scheduled to begin in 2025.
Conclusion
3D printing technology is proving day after day that it is not just an innovation, but a revolutionary solution that is changing the face of the construction and housing sector. By combining speed, efficiency, and sustainability, this technology offers a new vision for the future of housing after building the largest 3D printer, where building homes becomes easier and more innovative to meet the needs of future generations.
