What once was considered to be fantasy is now very real. 3D printing technology has improved in leaps and bounds over the last several years. Each year, discoveries are made that enable us to 3D print even more things. One exciting area of development has been in the realm of 3D printing houses. This new technology can provide so many benefits to mankind.
Lower Costs
The cost of a home has been growing rapidly for decades. This makes it more and more difficult for people to be able to afford a home that meets their wants and needs. However, with 3D printed homes, much of the manual labor is removed from the cost of building a home. This will lower the cost of housing. With lower housing costs, the poorest parts of society will be able to save more of their money to spend on other important items. Overall, this can bring about a massive positive change for our country’s economy.
More Customization
Previously, the idea was that you could make houses faster and cheaper if you just made them all the same, or at least, mostly the same. This allowed construction companies to train workers on just a few different setups and then send them to work doing the same tasks repeatedly on each house in a new development. However, with 3D printed technology, that will no longer be necessary. You don’t have to spend hours training a 3D printer on each new job. You just need to upload a new design. This only takes a few milliseconds. This can allow homebuyers to custom design their homes to their own desires.
Cut Construction Times
One of the worst parts about building your own home is the time that it takes to complete it. Many people avoid building their own home for this very reason. They can’t afford to build a home without selling their current home, and they can’t afford to live in a rental or hotel until their new home is finished. With 3D printing, the construction time for homes can be significantly reduced. 3D printers do not need to go to the bathroom, take breaks, eat food, or sleep. They don’t even get tired! As long as an operator is around to observe the operation of the 3D printer, the printer can work around the clock 24/7.
Add to Existing Homes
Building additions to current homes can be a bit of a pain. However, with 3D printers, this could become a relatively easy process. There are many things that you could do. You could build a guest house. You could build a garden fence. You might be able to print to order a deck for your home with your ideal features. There truly are so many possibilities for home additions when you use 3D printing. The best part about it would be the speed and low manpower at which it would be done. While we are grateful for the work that builders perform, no one likes having builders traipsing through their house while trying to complete a project.
Stronger Designs
An interesting aspect of 3D printers is that they allow us to manufacture certain designs that would otherwise be impossible. It also allows some current designs to be constructed as one whole rather than a bunch of different pieces attached by bolts, nails, and screws. This has revolutionized the way that some things are built. These design changes have led to building components that are both stronger and lighter. In fact, not only are some 3D printed concrete walls lighter and stronger, but many are also better at providing thermal insulation than conventional concrete walls. This all goes a long way to making your home safer and more efficient.
Lower Carbon Footprint
Because of the previously mentioned improvements in construction design. 3D printed homes use less concrete than an identical home built from conventional methods. Concrete production is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. By using 3D printing to construct homes, you can reduce the amount of concrete that you use. This will in turn reduce the carbon footprint of your home. This technology is one of the great innovations that not only makes our lives more convenient, but it does so while benefiting the environment instead of hurting it.
Less Waste
When you see a home being built by conventional methods, you’ll notice that there are usually several large dumpsters nearby. That is because building a home generally involves a lot of waste. There is excess concrete, excess wood, excess fastenings, and so much more. With 3D printing, there isn’t the same problem. The 3D printer doesn’t need to throw away scraps because it doesn’t cut things to fit. It simply makes things that fit perfectly. 3D printer technology can also accurately measure how much material is needed for a job. This will allow the machine operators to prepare only the material that is necessary to get the job done.
Job Changes
One of the great concerns about automated technology is that it will harm the blue collar workers. However, this isn’t necessarily true. 3D printing homes is not going to eliminate the need for workers, it is simply going to change the tasks that they perform. It is going to take a lot of work to set up and take down the printers. There needs to be operators for the machinery. There also needs to be people that work on the designs of the homes and so many other things. Furthermore, 3D printers can’t do everything. They can’t lay wires or install plumbing. They also can’t do the finishing touches like painting, tiling, carpeting, and drywall. There will still be a lot of work for others to perform.
So, if you get the chance to have your home built by a 3D printer, don’t shy away from this futuristic technology. Choosing to use the 3D printer technology could result in your home being built faster, better, cheaper, and more customizable than other alternative options. That is a big win-win for everyone.
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