The world's largest 3D printing neighborhood is nearing completion

ICON's Vulcan printer is 13.7 meters wide and weighs 4.75 tons, building layer by layer like a desktop 3D printer but on a much larger scale. Machine is completing the last house in Georgetown.

The world's largest 3D printing neighborhood is nearing completion Picture 1

3D printing replaces multiple construction teams to build wall systems with just one worker and one robot, bringing high efficiency to the commercial market.

After concrete powder, water, sand and many additives are mixed together to create a toothpaste-like mixture and pumped into the printer, the nozzle releases the mixture gradually layer by layer according to a preset route to create walls.

ICON's Vulcan printer only takes about 3 weeks to complete a 3 - 4 bedroom one-story house with a foundation and metal roof installed using conventional methods.

Concrete walls are modified to be resistant to water, mold, termites and extreme weather conditions. The walls of the house also have perfect insulation, maintaining a cool space inside even when the air conditioner is not running at full capacity in the hot weather in Texas.

However, the wireless Internet connection signal transmitted through the 3D printed wall does not seem to be very good. To solve this problem, instead of relying on a traditional router, most Wolf Ranch homeowners use mesh wifi routers, which transmit signals from many devices located throughout the house.

ICON 3D printed the first house in Austin in 2018 and the company's goal is to bring the technology to the Moon. NASA has signed a contract with ICON in the Artemis lunar exploration program, to develop a system to build landing pads, shelters and many other structures on the lunar surface.

Lesley Montoya

Update 12 August 2024