Construction has begun on California's first ever, on-site 3D-printed home by Emergent 3D.
Emergent 3D uses a massive printer with a special mixture of concrete that allows for the walls to hold their form as they are layered. The print head is controlled by a computer that communicates to the machinery where the walls should be.
"We're not printing in a factory - we're not printing components. Everything is set up on-site and printed right there on site," said Matthew Gile, the founder of Emergent 3D.
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The printer is capable of building a 3,000 square foot single story home and a 6,000 square foot two story homes. It can save roughly 20% on the construction schedule that will likely improve further as 3D-printing for homes becomes more familiar.
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The concrete can be the finished surface or it can be covered inside with drywall or outside with stucco. The roof remains a wood truss system, but the structure still has significantly less risk of loss to fire.
The print time for a home is about 31 hours, and instead of a full work crew, now a few tech-savvy workers control the printer.
"The 30-somethings and 20-somethings that haven't been traditionally interested in construction, as we present to them that you can print a home from your laptop, suddenly the hands are going up of, 'How do I get involved in this new tech construction field?'" Gile said.