3D-printing technology is getting more and more popular (and commercial) by the day. Recently, Ford said it is testing 3D-printing of large car parts, and now, a startup based in San Francisco 3D-printed a whole house in just 24 hours.
3D-printed house – very cost-effective
This amazing stunt was pulled off by startup Apis Cor in Russia. The company used a 3D printer to develop a building envelope, partitions and walls. Few parts required manual work. The workers were quite efficient and quickly completed the remaining work of installing the roofing materials, thermal insulation, hydro-acoustic and wiring.
In the end, there was a magnificent house spread over a 400-square-foot area. Though the shape was a bit odd, it still is a good choice for people who do not want to spend much on a home. The small but elegant house was build for just small amount of $10,134, which is not very much considering the fact that a house is a basic necessity that everyone dreams of, but few can afford. The overall expenditure on a house is higher when the land cost is added.
Apis Cor says its printer design (reminiscent of a tower crane) is its most distinctive feature. Such a design allows the printer to execute the construction both inside and outside.
Apis Cor’s printer is small in size, “easily transportable and does not require long preparation before the commencement of the construction works because it has a built-in automatic horizon alignment and stabilization system.” The printing process almost eliminates the risk of human error, as it is automated as much as possible.
Samsung also helped with the project
Apis Cor sought help from the most innovative companies in various fields and worked with them as partners on the project. One of the most prominent of them is PIK Companies Group, a leading Russian public developer.
Another is Samsung Electronics Co., which designed some electronic appliances just for the purpose of demonstration, including a curved TV. Other partners were «FABRIKA OKON» COMPANY, Bitex Reibeputz Company and Technonicol Corporation.
With its successful implementation, this project has surely written a new chapter in architectural solutions. If this does turn into a business and Apis Cor chooses to 3D-print more houses, owners will hopefully have be able to choose any shape and size they want for their house.
Interested customers can get an idea of how all this happened by taking a look at the video from the company.
