In a new venture, ICON’s Vulcan printer is on the brink of completing the world’s largest 3D-printed neighborhood with 100 homes constructed in Georgetown, Texas.
These homes are currently undergoing final touches by the massive Vulcan printer, which is over 45 feet wide and weighs up to 4.75 tonnes. The Vulcan expertly constructs each house layer by layer, working similarly to a desktop 3D printer but on a far bigger scale.
Conner Jenkins, Senior Project Manager at ICON, highlighted how 3D printing has improved efficiency in the building sector. He clarified that one crew and one robot may replace the numerous crews needed to construct a wall system using traditional methods. Jenkins highlighted how this technology has accelerated the building process.
“3D printing brings significant efficiency to the trade market by replacing the need for multiple crews to build a wall system with just one crew and one robot,” Jenkins said.
Concrete powder, water, sand, and several additives are mixed and put into the printer to start the printing process. Similar to toothpaste on a brush, a nozzle extrudes the mixture along an established route to create walls with a corduroy texture. Jenkins stated that these walls are designed to provide excellent insulation, endure harsh weather, and fend off termites, mold, and water.
The printing process takes around three weeks for each of the single-story homes with three or four bedrooms. The foundation and metal roofs are installed using conventional techniques. Residents of Wolf Ranch, such as Lawrence Nourzad and Angela Hontas, who recently bought a house there, value the robustness and durability of their 3D-printed home.
“The house feels like a fortress,” Nourzad mentioned, adding that he believes it will withstand most tornadoes. The thick walls also offer excellent insulation against the scorching Texas heat, keeping the interior cool even when the air conditioner isn’t running at full capacity. However, the couple discovered that these robust walls can interfere with wireless internet signals. “Signal doesn’t transfer through these walls very well,” he added.
Slightly more than 25% of the 100 homes in the Wolf Ranch development, which are a part of the “Genesis Collection,” have been sold. The homes are priced between $450,000 and $600,000. ICON, a company that gained recognition in 2018 for 3D printing its first house in Austin, has goals bigger than our planet. Under NASA’s Artemis Moon exploration program, the company is working with NASA to create construction systems that will enable the creation of landing pads, shelters, and other structures on the lunar surface.
This endeavor is not exclusive to ICON. Another company making progress in the 3D printing building sector is Houston-based Hive3D. On a project at Round Top, Texas, they have constructed five compact “casitas” with 400 to 900 square feet each, intended for short-term rentals in a well-liked tourist destination with festivals and antique shows.
