3D printing, which refers to the process of using a digital file and printer to manufacture a three dimensional solid object, is increasingly being used to build real properties, prompting developers to declare 3D printing the future of real estate construction.
In China, the world’s very first 3D printed house was built in just 45-days, reported the UK’s Mirror. The 2-story, 4,300 square foot home was built using 20-tons of concrete from a special 3D concrete printer. Not only did the house use less labor to build than a traditional one, but the new 3D printed home can withstand an earthquake as strong as 8 on the Richter scale.
Meanwhile, a company called Sunconomy is teaming up with Russian 3D printers Apis Cor and their 3D concrete printer, to build 3D printed home in the U.S.
However, 3D-printed construction is not limited to residential properties. In Dubai, the first 3D-printed office building opened last May. The 2,700-square-foot, single-story building was built in just 17 days using a gigantic, 20-foot tall 3D printer and a special mix of concrete, fiber reinforced plastic and glass fiber reinforced gypsum. According to Engadget, an 18-person construction crew consisted of installers, electricians and mechanical engineers who completed the job for a $140,000 in construction and labor costs — or about half the price of a comparable structure built with conventional methods.
