Will increasing costs and labor shortages press the 3D printing into the mainstream?

The construction industry is currently under strong pressure. On the one hand, the pressure is to build up. The United States has a growing lack of housing that has created an opportunity for builders who can produce the urgently needed houses. On the other hand, the economic and political situation is. High interest rates have made building loans unaffordally expensive. The tariffs have already made important building materials such as steel more expensive and also threatens to increase the prices of many other necessary building components. Also a procedure against undocumented workers. According to some estimates, around 13 percent of all construction workers in the United States are likely to be undocumented. The loss of part of this workforce in combination with the large number of older workers who are to retire in the next few years will create a deficiency that makes the cessation of commercial workers even more expensive.

All of these forces push the construction industry to find a way to build faster, cheaper and fewer workers. The pressure can finally create a diamond in the form of 3D printed buildings. 3D printing construction, also called additive construction, has been around for some time. There were many pilot projects in which houses, small offices and even a throughput daring were printed. Despite the obvious advantages of the 3D printing, most of the 3D printed building was limited to small projects. Now the 3D printing technology has improved a practical option for the construction industry.

One of the deterrent for the 3D printed construction is earthquakes. Buildings in seismisch active areas must adhere to certain building standards. Designs for buildings have to be tested to see how they would be constant to the earthquakes of different types and sizes. 3D printed buildings often rely on the cast material for their structure, many have no steel or technical wooden frames to support their weight. This creates a problem because the type of materials used for 3D printing does not yet give much equality. Each different manufacturer must test their materials under different conditions.

In order to clarify the 3D -printed houses for those who are prone to earthquake, the researchers start testing 3D printed structures on demanding “shake tables”. The tables can test how different methods and geometries would do with increasing size in earthquakes. Sensors in the shake table can determine where problems arise in a way that enables design changes to remedy weaknesses. One of the advantages of the 3D -printed construction is that designs can be changed as easily as a CAD file, since the robot printer reproduces all digital plans.

“This experiment aims to close the knowledge gap in connection with the dynamic reaction of 3D-printed units, especially how they perform under recorded and simulated seismic events,” said Dr. Raffaele de Risi, head of the Shake table project. “In this way, the team aims to identify strengths, weaknesses and failure mechanisms that are specific for this construction method.”

There have already been some innovative new techniques that helped 3D printed buildings to reach new heights. Lately the world's largest 3D printed tower has been built in a small town in Switzerland. The structure, which is referred to as Alva (white tower in English), is 30 meters high and used decorated, spiral columns to support its own weight. The researchers behind the team were able to reach this type of height by using a second robot that would place around metal wires between a few layers of concrete, which help to hold together. Each story was then held together with wires, which were guided by certain channels built into the design. The tower should not only show what 3D printing can be achieved, but also another aspect of 3D -printed structures: modularity. Tor Alva was built in a city with only 11 inhabitants and is designed in such a way that it is to be taken apart and moved to other small cities in the area to build up cultural identity and increase tourism.

So that the 3D printing really has to catch, it must be proof that 3D -printed buildings are both economically and desirable. There are some great developments that do exactly that. One of the largest 3D printed communities was completed in Texas. Wolf Ranch is a collaboration between Lennar, Big and the Construction Technology Company Icon. It consists of 100 houses that are not only equipped with 3D printed walls, but also many other smart home functions. Over a quarter of the houses have already been sold between 450,000 and 600,000 US dollars (the average home price in the region is $ 450.00), which proves that there is a market for this type of houses.

Another large 3D -printed development is built in BC, Canada. The houses are more affordable than others that were traditionally built and can be built in just a few days. Since more areas are struggling with the affordability of living space and more state incentives to promote more affordable development, the use of 3D printing will be more concentrating as a cheaper and faster way to build houses.

One of the greatest obstacles to 3D printing is not the technology, but the industry return hike. Contractors have used the same design techniques for decades and are not ready to turn into a completely new, unknown system. Many construction workers do not even have the necessary skills to be able to use 3D printer. Recent studies show that the construction industry is not adopted due to inadequate training and the perceived technological complexity. As much as the supporters of 3D printers hope that this new method will be used for their obvious advantages, it is more likely that the 3D printing must fit into our current building methods so that it can touch it. The more pressure is exerted on the construction industry, the more it will be forced to change. This need for change could be, which ultimately contributes to pressing the 3D print from the building edge into the mainstream.