Thursday, 13 November 2014
3D printing technology has moved forward in leaps and bounds of late. There has been really interesting creations in the fashion world, the medical field, technology and other realms. But I did not imagine that the housing industry was something that was going to have a big involvement in 3D technology.
Recently, a Chinese company has created giant 3D printers, which are capable of constructing 10 full-sized, detached single-storey houses in a single day’s workload. Now that’s impressive.
WinSun is a private firm that have used four 10m x 6.6m printers to apply a mixture of cement and construction waste to build the walls, layer by layer, just like a 3D printer. The cost of these houses is incredibly cheap, as the buildings are finished using recycled materials and the process does not require any labour costs. Each one of these houses can be printed for only £3,000. WinSun’s CEO, Ma Yihe said, “We purchased parts for the printer overseas, and assembled the machine in a factory in Suzhou…Such a new type of 3D-printed structure is environment-friendly and cost-effective.”
He hopes the printers can be used to fabricate skyscrapers in the future and he has plans to build an entire villa using the same processes. The company is also intending to make 100 recycling facilities across China to help keep up with the demand that it will generate. China has also announced that the first 3D printed housing project will be located in Qingdao.
As I mentioned earlier, 3D printing is moving forward quickly, with the ability to produce a huge range of things from everyday items such as mobile phone cases and furniture to more advanced items such tailor made medical healing braces. Could this possibly be the future of the construction industry? As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.
