3D-PRINTED BUILDINGS

Sure, 3D-printed toys and tools are pretty cool. But printing an entire building would be a whole let better, and that’s what a team from MIT is working on. Their robotic system uses a vehicle with tracks to carry a large, industrial robotic arm. A nozzle at the end can then be used to lay concrete or spray insulation, allowing a structure to be built up over time.In a test they were able to build a dome made of polyurethane foam moulds filled with concrete in 14 hours, measuring 3.7 metres high and 15 metres wide.

The idea is that these machines could optimally build structures using on-site environmental data, such as giving walls varying thickness depending on which way they are facing. It’s still in its early stages, but one day you might be stepping into a 3D-printed home.

Below and left: if you need windows, MIT has also been working on 3D printing glass

Two arms The DCP is equipped with one long, 5-axis hydraulic arm that has a shorter 6-axis arm mounted on its endpoint.

Dynamic The DCP can be used to pour concrete, spray insulation or be equipped with a milling head.

rapid build The Digital Construction Platform (DCP) built this 3.7m foam wall in 14 hours.

novel 3D-printing techniques could be used to construct entire buildings