I think a lot of people might be looking at the texture and thinking "meh", but it looks like it'd be really easy to give the outside a skimcoat and make it really smooth and nice looking, or even skimcoat it with a texture, or heck, a block pattern.
I did not read all the comments, but many are concerned there is'nt any rebar and so it is not strong. Concrete can be made incredibly strong with additives. When special glue is added it is now "polymerConcrete". There are even tinny little fibers you can add that do work like a rebar. It could be a whole lot stronger then you think.
My son and I recently got a 3D Printer, The Micro3D, and he asked "is anyone building a house with a 3D printer?" so I found you and then found this video...simply amazing!! I can't even begin to imagine the engineering that went into scaling up a 3D printer not to mention the trial and error, well done! I hope to see this in a playground near us or the finished houses in a community near us!!
Being able to build up houses in a day means you expect recovery from disaster to be fixed in a week or so. Still needs work for other parts of the reconstruction though like plumbing and electrical grids... Still, if your entire country gets razed by a earthquake, a newly built concrete house is better than a tent, in terms of security and private spaces.
I'm guessing that with a bit of design and implementation, they could send a system like this to the Moon or Mars. I would bet that Elon is giving this type of system some serious thought,
Is it pretty quiet compared to normal construction? One could use this type of printer to make cob or maybe adobe houses, too. Seems like it all comes down to the right consistency of extruded material.
not only consistency, everything should work nonstop flawless days or weeks oudoor without buildups and no need to clean...... and keep in mind it is portable.... believe me its hard to make
Noble 3D Printers, LLC a concrete fluid enough not to clog the extruder but solid enough to keep the form once extruded... it could be made with the low weight concrete mix used in skyscrapers that is pumped too...
you could add another head that installs steel rods into each layer bonding each layer as each layer is formed also this leaves a awesome finish for plastering over i dont see why people are complaining you have to plaster the outside and inside of most concrete buildings anyway
Making buildings using computer controlled extruded concrete actually isn't a new idea at all. This only shows that this kind of technology is becoming so common that its within the reach of the hobbyist.
I love how ingenious this engineer is to design a massive 3D concrete printer and know nothing about employing a crane to hoist his creations into place. Should make that his next pet project.
Wonderful work. I think 3d printing is the future of architecture and construction of all sorts. Even if some things can be too big or complicated to print in one piece, you can just print separate modules and put them together. Seriously, the possibilities are unlimited.
This makes a lot more sense to me than all this hype about 3d-printed cars/guns/hearts etc, basically because we already build in homogeneous materials such as concrete.
+atenrok You could use the right bricks and use this for the mortar. It may reduce the costs of a solid cement device. Hey, how using the same techniques to lay brick and then the cement head fills in the gaps? Would that work?
Andrey Rudenko. Ignore the naysayers. You are the one with the intellect and gumption to actually make it work. This kind of process is still in it's infant stage, so whatever you build with it should be considered R&D. You should be thanked instead of criticized. Whoever says it will not work without rebar is wrong. One example is a dome, whether it be geodesically self supporting or a simple dome-top earth and mud hovel. There are rudimentary mud hovels in Europe that are still standing after some 1,000 years. (I'm not well learned in European history, so I could be way off the mark in terms of the age of those mud huts).
Expressing a concern is CURIOUSITY, not necessarily naysaying. Imagine the cool decks that could be built with this with water features built into it or a large fountain. Many possibilities in the future. Folks are just "thinking out loud" and brainstorming here I think.
I wouldn't mind living in a 3-d printed house. Some of the Apis Cor models looks nice as hell. They're fire resistant, storm resistant, even bullet resistant for some of you living in Chicago. While they might not be good for redecoration, if all you care about is stable living conditions, it's a perfect choice.
Kevin Cassidy lol now you can and if you have a massive 3D concrete printer you can do this too. Although it might take a large amount of storage space on your computer and a big portion of your backyard too......
Genius. What a beautiful, long list of possibilities I can see for this !!! The prefab company near me sells over a dozen concrete and wood frame buildings, most for businesses, per month. They also work with the Styrofoam block, ( ICF ?) poured concrete forms. About a dozen years ago they built/assembled a fantastic 3 story 18,900 sq.ft. factory building for a company near Pittsburgh that cost less to heat and cool than I pay for climate control of my 3 bedroom house. Stronger, more efficient and lower insurance costs as well !
I can't help but feel that designs should include asymmetric gaps to make them really earthquake proof. A monolithic concrete building like that would be very prone to cracks during an earthquake.
Print dome houses that have multiple applications for both above and below ground. With concrete thats Hydrolitic. With fiber optic cables to bring in sun light and for power for them and to heat water. All self contained.
Not in castle form but yes exactly the same way. Its on youtube bro, I think i watch it like 3 days before I seen this one, and their printer was gigantic!
Chinese. They print the walls in a factory, on a large printer. Then move the walls to the build site. It's a factory based printer, not an onsite printer.
Fiber reinforcement between the layers would make this technology compelling. Reusable support material would be pretty cool too. Maybe a PE or PP in a PU foam slurry.
Try using foamcreate, by mixing Drexal foam with concrete. It comes out very light, in fact it floats in water once hardened. 3 times the insulation as concrete and it's even stronger! Plus with each bag of concrete it doubles the batch. Look up RU-vid: Air Crete Dome Homes. MUST LOOK UP VIDEO, IT WOULD CHANGE THE OUTCOME OF THE CURRENT PROJECT TO MAKE IT ECONOMICAL.
I think he could incorporate reinforcements of metal to strengthen it, and lift it with a crane. He could also add fiberglass to the mix for strength. An inner and outer wall would leave space to insulate, and run the wiring and plumbing. There is an additive for moisture barrier.
Your technology is 100% similar to that being use by WINSUN construction company based in Shanghai, China. But they (WINSUN) are a 3D construction specialist for more some time now. Its good to find a fellow American can do the same and practically build it for similar cause using less money and less labor. God job!
You could go to a site build a whole complex then bury it. Even print holding tanks for fresh water an waste water. To have a system to recycle the water used. To support a certain number of people.
Yes, because our knowledge about cement is so limited. We only use this stuff for some 2000 years, we definite can't ensure it's durable enough! ;) ;) ;)
+Denys Vlasenko He's concerned with the way it is being stacked layer upon layer. The lack of cohesion between layers could make it much weaker than solid concrete.
You know what this could really use? Some modular parts that the concrete could be poured into to give them a nice smooth look; it wouldn't even need to be all that hard, and could be made out of anything from metal to plastic. Now i wonder where you could get some of those from~
It's really backwards-thinking and ignorant for the reporters to make fun of him for this. If this technology continues to develop, we could see all buildings constructed with similar rapid fabrication systems. Imagine having a house built in under a week.
Problem - previous layer is not set up before next layer goes on and if concrete is mixed to set fast - it will set inside the machine. Solution - extruder also "SQUIRTS" a line of hardener that will initiate the concrete's setting reaction. Please let everyone know if this is already a part of the technology. Thank you so much for your work. Harold
This is cool. Without any kind of reinforcement such as rebar I can see this cracking due to weather. Maybe some kind of fibers are mixed with the cement?
if he had a dual extruder he could print concrete on the outside and drywall plaster on the inside so he could hang pictures easily on the inside of his home. and maybe pause the print every 3' and inject foam insulation between the two walls.
it probably wouldn't be too difficult adapting reinforcements you could just change the printing patterns maybe make a different tip pour easier might not even have to change the consistency of the concrete
In case of clay plus baker - he could create reinforced walls on the fly. Also. He could use metallic chunks in the mass to get reinforcing too. Also. What doesn"t let to put a wire with fixators in the concreate mass right after the extruder and fold it the way it needs.
Unless you've got the lost recipe for ancient Roman Concrete perfected, you need some type of reinforcement matrix between the layers or in the mix. Because obviously, having pre-formed rebar structures sticking out would interfere with the nozzle path. Personally, I don't like the layered look. It messes with my senses in a way. I can't describe it. I'd have to go back and smooth everything out or fill in. Thus creating more work for myself, that the 3D process was trying to eliminate.
TheBikerScout Yeah, but BFD, right? Meantime, you've got your castle. And I'm thinking mud mixed with straw is used to make huts - it all depends on the dimensions. It might be possible to use any fibrous material in the mix (the stronger the better) if you have coservative proportion of thickness to height. Stuff that stands for centuries. Eons, even.... Can't knock it down.
TheBikerScout It's for fun. Not a real castle to withstand seige (or earthquake). I'm sure Disney doesn't expect to build a real house out of it. Maybe just some quick disposable theme parks.
I realize this particular project is just for fun, and it's structural integrity isn't that critical. BUT... this is also a product showcase. Something that can more than likely be adopted to a larger scale. I'm sure the designer of the system hopes that happens. Otherwise it's a lot of work and investment just to make a kids sized castle. So that means, that there still needs to be a reinforcement matrix that needs to be worked out before this can become someone's home or structure. It's possible that small rebar can be pushed into the layers as the print head moves on. But that takes away from the set-it and forget-it building approach. And therefore slower than traditional slab tilt-up, or pour in place methods. We are going to be building a 55ft diameter dome home, and using a special mix called shortcrete that can be sprayed vertically without sagging. But being blown inside an inflated air form can be done in a matter of hours. Printing a dome structure would take many days. Which do you think would cost more? Everyone charges by the hour.
TheBikerScout The fact that people have been trying to print "real houses" is not news. The fact that this guy did a castle in his back yards is news. This has been the subject of university research for many years and I'm sure the topic has come up. They just didn't think of building castles in back yards or disney land as a potential market. lol And "dome homes" are the most impractical residences. It's more like a hippie novelty than anything that will be adopted in large scale.
Maybe an old Buckminster Fuller Geodesic Dome is hippieish... but a Monolithic Dome made out of concrete is awesome. If you've ever toured any of the nicer examples, they have a great "feel" to them when you step inside. Plus, our ground floor is 7 feet below grade, and the average temperature will fluctuate between 68°F and 72°F. Amazing natural light floods large areas without harsh angles and shadows. Earthquake and Hurricane proof. Won't rot, creak or be susceptible to in-the-wall critters like termites, rats or roaches. Don't knock something until you've got first hand knowledge of it.
Came back to this one today due to all the hubbub of the Dubai 3-D printed building. HOPE this guy is getting paid for his idea!! 💰💰💰 731 brick companies now dislike this video/technique.
Just another thought on the uses for a device like this.... 3D printing has opened a lot of doors previously unavailable because of how finely it can create structures, not just the macro structure of the wall, but build a wall with an internal structure, say of triangles, polygons, etc. What do you think the possibility is of devising an internal structure to walls that can create equal or greater strength, while greatly reducing the amount of raw material used?
+Dan O'Connell that's already been done in large scale prints, this particular structure just doesn't use it. It's just as doable as it is in small scale prints.
This is awesome! I'm curious about two things: Does the printer mix its own cement as needed, or do you have to keep mixing and climbing ladders to refill it? Also, as the "wet" layers build up, have you had any issues with the added weight overwhelming the not-yet-cured cement's ability to support it? Like having to dynamically slow down the printing process to allow the previous layers time to solidify before adding more layers?
+Dosbomber looks like he waits for it to dry, or he does have to refill, and by the times thats done, its cured enough to support it, the coloring shows that
jeremiah hintz I see the coloring, but it looks like there's about 10 layers that are still wet (darker). I was wondering about how much weight those wet layers can support before it starts to sag.
I imagine that it would be difficult if not impossible to create such a structure out of concrete with a printer if you are also trying to reinforce with re-bar.
+outside the box There are many answers to this problem, such as robot arms holding rebar in place long enough for the concrete to be set around them. This is something that could easily be automated, and would solve that problem.
+Dakota deVilleneuve Admittedly, given time, if there is profit to be had doing it this way, an answer will be found. It just won't be as easy or as straightforward as this current video would suggest. With other materials likely yes but with concrete, the need for re-bar presents a significant hurdle of added complexity.
+outside the box Hmm... There are precision steel benders. They could bend the rebar without adding too much stress to the bar already laid. This could be done well before the concrete is being laid.Twin exters, Holy shit, Twin extruders! That would work! Twin extruders could lay concrete later around the rebar. With twin extruders you could do a hell of a lot of stuff! The possibilities are quite exciting. Good luck figuring it all out though.
