Sort of… we can 3D print walls out of specific concrete blends that run nicely through an extended hose system that runs from the mud pump to the print nozzle. But, concrete has a limited time as mud before it starts to harden, so you can only print for so many hours before you have to stop and flush out the pump and hoses before it turns into rock, and the concrete mix can’t be too chunky (like including gravel) to flow through the system.
Also, if you get all that right, then you can print walls… but not structural frames that would support a multistory building, or plumbing or electrical wiring or insulation or windows or roofs…
We’re a long way from 3D printing a building wholesale.
“We are able to produce concrete onsite, pump it onsite and deliver the wall system to a house onsite”
That’s literally all the printer does… the wall system… which is exactly what I wrote.
All of the non-concrete parts still have to be manually installed, the concrete is limited to a specific blend that allows the printer to run without clogging up (which limits the types of structure that can be made), and it can’t build more than 3 stories because unreinforced concrete won’t stay up without a frame.
Sort of… we can 3D print walls out of specific concrete blends that run nicely through an extended hose system that runs from the mud pump to the print nozzle. But, concrete has a limited time as mud before it starts to harden, so you can only print for so many hours before you have to stop and flush out the pump and hoses before it turns into rock, and the concrete mix can’t be too chunky (like including gravel) to flow through the system.
Also, if you get all that right, then you can print walls… but not structural frames that would support a multistory building, or plumbing or electrical wiring or insulation or windows or roofs…
We’re a long way from 3D printing a building wholesale.
Not anymore.
Ah… did you read this?
That’s literally all the printer does… the wall system… which is exactly what I wrote.
All of the non-concrete parts still have to be manually installed, the concrete is limited to a specific blend that allows the printer to run without clogging up (which limits the types of structure that can be made), and it can’t build more than 3 stories because unreinforced concrete won’t stay up without a frame.