A few years ago, I saw a time lapse video of a 3D printer constructing a small building in someone’s backyard. Thinking about it, it made me wonder whether or not 3D printing will ever become to dominant way to construct some things in the building industry. In 2016, Spain opened up the first 3D printed walking bridge. Since then, Shanghai has opened up the world’s longest 3D printed concrete bridge, and the city of Amsterdam is constructing a steel bridge with the help of a 3D printer as well (Patel, 2019). In addition to bridges, the city of Eindhoven plans to make 3D printed houses available for rent (Frearson, 2018), led by the Eindhoven University of Technology team. The man in charge of this team is the brain behind the first ever 3D printed concrete bridge in the Netherlands, Theo Salet. Salet says, “3D-printing of concrete is a potential game changer in the building industry. Besides the ability to construct almost any shape, it also enables architects to design very fine concrete structures” (Frearson, 19). In classic construction methods, workers have to pour concrete into molds made out of plywood. However, when using “large-scale” 3-D printers, concrete is pumped out of a nozzle on a crane arm that is guided by a computer. This creates each structure layer by layer, and it’s no longer necessary to make a new mold for ever single piece. Basically, a 3D printer uses fewer materials and less labor than traditional construction. I, for one, and looking forward to seeing the future of 3D construction and how it may change our world in the years to come. ‘
Sources:
Patel, P. (2019, March 25). How 3-D Printing Could Break into the Building Industry. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-3d-printing-could-break-into-the-building-industry/
Frearson, A. (2018, June 6). Eindhoven to build “world’s first” 3D-printed houses that people can live in. Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2018/06/04/eindhoven-university-technology-project-milestone-3d-printed-concrete-houses/
When it comes to 3D printing and construction, I see a lot of potential. I’ve seen the same video that is talked about in the post and I think it’s amazing we are already able to make so many things. I think that along with 3D printers come a ton of benefits. I read an article that talked about some of these benefits and why 3D printing can really help us all out in many ways. First off, “less materials are used than traditional manufacturing processes” and this “reduces the environmental impact as less waste is produced” (3D Natives 2018). They are able to use less material because they can build “optimized shapes” (3D Natives 2018). Another benefit is that of time. Using 3D printers to build can reduce “a 2-week job to just 3-4 days” and can also “reduce the risk of injury at work” (3D Natives 2018).
I also wanted to take this discussion a little further and expand it to the housing crisis. All around the world people are searching for ways to fight this crisis and 3D printing just might be the answer. Being able to build homes so quickly with these devices make them perfect for combating the problem at hand. There’s companies all around the world such as the “Italian company WASP” who are trying their hand at the problem. They have “developed one of the world’s largest 3D printers which is capable of building homes from locally sourced materials using solar, wind, or hydro power” (3D Natives 2018). I think it’s amazing that we are able to do things like this and if we can perfect these machines then we will be able to get a lot done.
However, the problem with all of this is that “the process of 3D printing buildings is not today recognized as a construction method by many codes and standards” (3D Natives 2018). People question whether or not these structures will actually hold, especially against different factors in the environment there in, and how long they will last. Until we can get past all of these obstacles, we will just have to wait patiently for the future of construction to take place.
Source: 3D Printing: The Future of Construction
https://www.3dnatives.com/en/3d-printing-construction-310120184/
I think 3D printing technology could dramatically affect construction. Since constructing a building or house is directly related to safety, it should be very cautious before they are applied in real construction. If using 3D printers could generate less cost and better durability, these can dramatically change the construction business.
However, there are some downsides to 3D printers. For instance, as 3D printers are more and more accessible these days, there is an issue about the 3D-printed guns. People can make a gun at home with 3D printers. It not just a gun like stuff, but the real gun. As technology develops, it always comes with a downside.
Another downside of the 3D printer to be applied in a construction field is labor. Current constructions need lots of resources, especially human. Though technology developed, they still need human to build something. If 3D printers can perfectly replace these works at less cost, it can cause huge unemployment issues. It is possible that 3D printing will generate more job opportunities, yet this will definitely cause confusion in the labor market places.
I think it might be a good idea to use 3D printing technology to substitute dangerous tasks that we are currently doing it. This way we could make positive interaction with the #D printing technology.
source:
https://gizmodo.com/the-3d-printed-gun-threat-is-getting-weird-and-scary-1835694478
https://3dprint.com/3980/3d-printing-jobs-economy/
3D printing is an exciting technology that we are still developing and applying to many different fields. The field of construction, which you brought up, would be significantly influenced by mainstream 3D printing. However, this is still a few years away as most concrete 3D printers are still being tested and improved. Once this technology becomes more accessible, there are many obvious advantages to it, such as increased speed, waste reduction, and the ability to design more ornate, complex structures. However, there are also several drawbacks that need to be addressed before this practice becomes commonplace. According to Grace Ellis, a member of the Construction Productivity Blog, these significant drawbacks include the high cost of the 3D printing technology, which may drive up prices of structures built by this technology (Ellis). In addition, construction workers would need to be trained on how to operate this machinery, which would be expensive in itself. In order to ensure each structure is build soundly, quality controls would need to be established. 3D printing would also be significantly slowed by any sort of weather event, as the printing cannot take place when it is raining. This may lead to extensive delays in certain climates that get a lot of rainfall. Despite all these concerns, the future for 3D printing in construction and beyond still looks bright.
Source: https://blog.plangrid.com/2018/11/the-truth-about-3d-printing-in-construction/
Although I’d consider 3D printing still in its infancy with the pace of where it is, this revolutionary tool is unimaginably versatile and can potentially help out other fields such as medicine and engineering. Recently this April, the biotech company- BIOLIFE4D, successfully printed a miniature mammalian heart. Providing a functional replica of a human heart can help the drug industry reduce the use of drug testing on animals. From printing concrete to the biological components of a heart, 3D is at the forefront of technological advancement.
Source:
https://biolife4d.com/biolife4d-reaches-groundbreaking-milestone-and-successfully-3d-bioprints-a-mini-heart/