How 3D Printing is changing the construction landscape

The use of 3D printing in the construction industry is becoming a reality. Architects and contractors around the world are now using the technology to build 3D residential structures.

The printing is done with a 3D printer head attached to a robotic arm which use a special mixture that is thicker than concrete. Moreover, structures created through 3D printing can be hollow allowing space for conduits. The technology can be used to print from shoes to bridges as well as a mansion.

The Chinese construction company Winsun is using 3D printing to build houses and apartment buildings at a very low cost of $ 5,000 per house. A single house can be constructed in less than 24 hours. The result has reduced labor cost from 50% to 80% compared to traditional building methods. Another Chinese company, Beijing-based Huashang Tengda, has delivered a six-story apartment building and even a 400 sq meters, two-story house within a month with their own in-house technology. Unlike its competitors, Huashang’s technology seems to be the real thing. According to the company, their 3D printing system can print buildings of any size and shape as well as unconventional structures that are not possible with other construction methods.

3D printing has transformed a number of industries and now it’s coming to the construction industry. With the technology, architects can now design the kind of buildings that they have only been dreaming about so far. Experts from around the world in the global construction industry have all named 3D printing as the technology that will radically change the industry in the future.