There have been a number of developments in the 3DCP world lately, some good, some, well, not so good.
3DCP is a 3D print technology that seems to be gathering some momentum. There are several reputable manufacturers of the equipment, and an increasing number of construction companies are either adopting 3DCP or being launched specifically to use it.
Alquist Sales
Alquist is one of the equipment manufacturers, and this week they announced a new series of machines, the A1. These are robotic-arm style systems that can deposit concrete mixes in complex patterns. There are two models in the series, A1 and A1X. The difference is that the A1X model is mounted on rails, greatly expanding the reach of the system: you can build larger structures.
Along with the product launch, Alquist also revealed that they have sold an amazing twelve A1X systems, combined with another two A1s. That’s a substantial amount of sales for a new product, and especially one that carries a hefty price.
Military ICON
Texas-based ICON has been focusing on residential 3DCP builds for the past few years, but that might change: they announced a new division: ICON Prime.
The purpose of the new division is to address defense and aerospace needs. Interestingly, the new president of ICON Prime turns out to be a former CIA clandestine operative, Will Hurd. ICON explains:
“The new business unit allows ICON to focus efforts on the specialized needs and demands of efforts like modernizing military construction and developing robotic systems for delivering infrastructure and buildings on the Moon.”
These applications have been experimented with by ICON for a few years now, and it seems they feel there is sufficient business for it to deserve its own line of business.
Colorado Home Boom
In Colorado, it was announced that California-based Azure Printed Homes would be printing homes in the area and opened a 25,000sf factory. Their goal is to produce up to 7,000 3D printed homes per year from the facility.
That’s an enormous number of homes, certainly the largest I’ve heard of in the 3DCP space. In the past, a suburb project with 20 or 100 homes would have been significant. This development moves the goalposts quite far ahead.
3DCP Troubles
Those were the good news. But there’s some bad news to report as well. A report on ProPublica analyzes a project in Cairo, Illinois, to print a series of homes to alleviate the local housing crisis. This project failed miserably and has not produced any homes in a year since it was announced.
The situation appears to be one of mismanagement, possible fraud with the FBI involved, and disputes with the equipment provider. The printing company, Prestige Project Management, suffered loss of equipment deposits, loss of employees, and anonymous reports that the project was a “publicity stunt”. The situation appears to be a complete mess, and nothing has been built.
What can we make of this bad situation? I believe we’re going to see more of this over time, simply because of two reasons: a) the number of 3DCP participants is dramatically rising, and b) the construction industry, like many, sometimes has shady actors in play.
For better or worse, we are seeing the 3DCP industry grow.
Via PRNewswire, ICON, National Today, and ProPublica
