3D House

[Dean Hoffman]

A woman got to move into her new house just before Christmas.

[Marilyn Manson]

These are prettier and more eco friendly. Probably more expensive though.

[micky]

I think I saw an inner wall too, so maybe that changes thigns, but running the printer along putting down a line of 1/2" of cement at a time seems much less efficient than making wooden forms and pouring it all at once. No?

[Marilyn Manson]

Depends on what you mean by efficient.

Let's see...

(Simplistically)

I design a house on a computer, I give the file to the contractor, he pulls out his measuring equipment, sets up the printer, sends the file to the printer, and lets it print.

or

(Simplistically)

I design a house on a computer, I give the file to the contractor, he pulls out his measuring equipment, cuts/set's up the forms, pours, vibrates, tools the concrete, let's it cure, removes his forms, etc.

Obviously, it's more complicated than that, especially setting up the printer on a job site (getting it level, stable, etc.). However, in certain situations, like a nice flat lot, especially multiple consecutive lots in a development, I can see banging out the exterior of a house every few days as being pretty efficient.

Granted, forms don't "fail" in the same manner than a concrete pouring 3D printer will (not might, will) so that needs to be factored into the "efficiency" calculation.

I guess we shall see,

[Ed Pawlowski]

Maybe for a box type house we are used to. Think about the future as the technique advances. That nice rounded porch you always wanted, the hex shaped jut out on the side, the third level round tower, unlimited shapes

[micky]

That makes sense. I guess I only think about what's in front of me. The one in the video was box-type. In fact they said they made it to fit t he n'hood.

[Marilyn Manson]

Apples and Sherman tanks, stupid.

Proper design, proper planning and flexibility during the print eliminate many of the issues encountered with "sprayed concrete".

Notice some of the inserts used for wiring, plumbing, etc. Creating the desired "voids" is quite easy since there is "time" between layers.

In addition, traditional framing inside the exterior shell is used as required.

[Marilyn Manson]

It does look like the process to set up the printer is pretty intense, compared to building forms. Here's a more detailed version of a build.

[Dean Hoffman]

The speaker at about ten minutes in said the process takes about half the time of traditional methods. I think there was talk sometime ago of making concrete with air bubbles or somehow impregnating insulation material. Strength was a factor.

[Marilyn Manson]

It would be nice to know when they started the time comparison. From when the framer leaves his house on day one and parks at the end of the final day compared to when the crane leaves the yard, picks up the printer and parks back in the yard after dismantling the printer and taking it back to wherever its stored?

Plus there the time it takes to print the bolt on parts that were printed in the factory. Was that done simultaneously while one printer was building the house and another was printing the part or was the same printer used, extending the actual build time?

IOW, we need to know his definition of "building the homes"?

Obviously the owner wants to sell his process, so we have to be sure we are getting factual information, not some hyperbole. (Watch his eyes. I'll wager that he's reading a carefully prepared statement.?

And let's not forget that crane. If this process is going to take off, there may be a need for more cranes, more coordination of cranes to fit the build schedules, etc. I could be wrong, but cranes aren't required for the majority of houses of the size in the video. Not to mention the the logistics of actually getting the cranes to the build sites. (Roads, lots, etc.)

I'm not saying that 3D printing of houses is destined for failure. I actually really like the idea. I'm just saying that we need to be careful who it is that is extolling the virtues of the process.

One other thing: Those rough, rippled interior walls. How the heck do you keep the dust from piling up on the hundreds (thousands?) of little shelves?

[Marilyn Manson]

That's unrelated to 3D printing or your sprayed concrete comment. Stick built houses can have "other than rectangular walls".

That's unrelated to 3D printing or your sprayed concrete comment. Stick built houses can have "other than rectangular walls".

That's unrelated to 3D printing or your sprayed concrete comment. Stick built houses can have "other than rectangular walls" - for cupboards.

Check these out, f****it.

Why do you bother talking about stuff you know nothing about? Stop embarrassing yourself.

By using readily available flexible metal tracks or cutting your own plywood sill and top plates, framing a curved wall is not much harder than framing a straight one.

Go learn something.

[gfretwell]

Ytong concrete (air entrained) I had a project here where they built a detention facility out of it. They ended up having to shoot a few inches of gunite on it so the inmates couldn't dig their way out with a spoon. It is cool stuff. I have a core, they drilled out and it floats.

[gfretwell]

I think they just print the exterior walls. It basically replaces a Mexican mason crew and I doubt it actually saves much money if any on that particular house, not amortizing the equipment. They pretty much always fly trusses with a crane so that part may not change much. It looks like the bolt on parts (doors windows) are from the same factory other people get them. The question is whether they can poop concrete as precisely as a mason can lay block for your rough openings. I think the styrofoam blocks they pour solid with concrete may be a better deal but still more expensive than masons. They built one of them here that I got to inspect.

[gfretwell]

Round turrets have become a popular thing here in expensive block houses so it can be done. They just lay the block in a circle and stucco it smooth.

[lkpo]

[e-mail] wrote

That one is clearly printing both the internal and external wall.

It basically replaces a

[Ed Pawlowski]

ICFs have been growing but still a small segment. Where I worked we made the actual forms for a few companies, mostly shipping in the northeast. Strong and well insulated when done.

[gfretwell]

The super on the job said it ended up being more expensive than they planned on and more than conventional CBS but the customer thought energy savings would make it better in the end. I also watched another house go up in my neighborhood made up of metal encased styrofoam panels 3'x8' bolted together. They liked it because it met the 160 MPH wind code. (10 faster than they need here). The other advantage is it is fast. They went from a slab to dry in, in about 20 days. It took another month or so to CO but that is fast for a house if you are doing "on your lot". OTOH my wife's fastest house was about 7 1/2 weeks from sticks in the dirt but she had all the trades on site and an $8000 bonus on the line. Centex had the housing crash predicted about a year out and they were racing the clock. When they pulled her off building houses, I sold my stock.

[Marilyn Manson]

Lamest point you've made so far. Completely ignores the discussion at hand. Typical of you when you've totally lost the argument.

Typical of every troll, ever.

There has to be some acceptance of the offer made.

OK, I'm going to have to think about that comment. It just might be lamer than the one you made earlier.

[Marilyn Manson]

Watch the video again. If they leave the inside of the exterior wall exposed (which they did) the ripples become part of the "décor".

Stereotype much? I'm pretty sure it "replaces" crews of other nationalities.

[Marilyn Manson]

Stop changing the subject.

Why didn't you just say "It basically replaces a mason crew"?

If you're sure it replaces crews of other nationalities, why did you feel the need to single out the Mexicans?

Do you not see the huge difference those 2 statements?

Hint: One sounds fairly intelligent and keeps the conversation on track, the other one makes you sound like a bigoted idiot. Guess which one is which.