Man to 3D Print a 2-story home using a RepRap-like 3D Printer

[Eddie]

Looks like Andrey is progressing nicely with his project. He has almost completed his mini castle. see: http://3dprint.com/10723/3d-printed-castle-house/

[3D OZ]

That is some of the best concrete printing I've seen, BUT it appears to be just the skin of a building that will have reinforcement inserted and then filled with concrete to make a solid wall.
So yet again the term "3D Printed" is being a little misused.
He has not 3D Printed a house, unlike the Chinese who actually did print "the house", in this case we are seeing a 3D printed skin that will be filled with a solid concrete core.
Given that there are dozens of technologies that can perform this function quicker and easier, this is not as huge a breakthrough as some would like.
What Andrey is doing is very aesthetic and artistic but it is not a 3D Printed house, not yet anyway.
There is the potential for some very complex wall shapes using this method that may not be acheivable with too many current methods but he's not quite there.

I'm not trying to belittle what has been achieved, I just wish we reserved use of the term "3D Printed" for when the vast majority of an object has been created solely through 3D Printing.

[Geoff]

Looks cool, I wonder in the future if everything we see manufactured around us will have lines running through it, it almost will look like a Dr Seuss Cartoon

[Feign]

Well, now that's what I call progress! I wouldn't be too worried about the walls being hollow. In some of the earlier posts it seems he's got a technique of placing rebar between the layers bridging the gap in the wall which would make it pretty sturdy even when hollow. Even filling the shell with regular concrete isn't that big a problem, since well, the printer itself could handle that if needed, just using a more fluid mix and higher pump speed.

What I'm still curious about (and am curious about with all concrete printers, really) is how he plans to put a roof on it.

[Roxy]

What I'm still curious about (and am curious about with all concrete printers, really) is how he plans to put a roof on it.

Almost for sure that is a separate piece of the design. Just like I would be willing to bet he isn't spending a lot of time looking for clear concrete so he can print the windows. But with the right design, it might be as easy as laying boards from 'support' material on one side to 'support' material on the other side and putting shingles on.

[Feign]

Almost for sure that is a separate piece of the design. Just like I would be willing to bet he isn't spending a lot of time looking for clear concrete so he can print the windows. But with the right design, it might be as easy as laying boards from 'support' material on one side to 'support' material on the other side and putting shingles on.

Well, that would make sense, but if you look at his drawing for the project, it's pretty clear that his ambitions run a little wilder than that.

He seems confident enough that it makes me think he's got some trick up his sleeve for making all those crazy parapets and peaks, and that's what has my curiosity.

[mint]

I notice there is next to no reinforcing material inside these walls, which seems very unwise. This guy might be printing more visually impressive rooms, but they seems a bit less stable than the ones being printed in China. Is the sparse rebar in the first image really enough reinforcement for a wall?

I was also wondering about the lack of reinforcing steel when I first saw the printed houses in China. They are indeed shells of buildings with no advantage I see over something like concrete tilt-up buildings (those warehouse looking buildings like costco).

However, 3d printing concrete does allow for more architectural expression which this Minnesota man is taking advantage of. Just needs to figure out a system to integrate structural. That first pic with rebar laid down flat seems structurally insufficient (someone correct me if I'm wrong) and kind of defeats the concept of automating the construction process (i.e. if there needs to be a guy laying down and welding the rebar between each layer).

But, who knows, maybe some concrete replacement in the future won't even need steel to reinforce it.

[Roxy]

I would think with the hollow walls rebar can be put in place vertically. And then if the shell if filled with concrete you have a reinforced structure. I think it would be very strong.

[Darrenm]

I work in the precast concrete industry and when I saw this I was excited. I have thought about this method of construction for a while, and how it could be achieved. The biggest roadblocks I run into is viscosity and curing rate vs. strength. I feel that a 1 story low profile building is definitely achievable ... don't know so much about the hollow part, but I have been part of small structure designs where mostly the walls were supporting things in compression. those little stints they are laying in the path of the printer remind me of carbon rods, which are actually pretty strong..... but they need to consider wind load if they are going to attempt a multistory story buildings. I can't imagine how they would procedurally reinforce that. I have pondered what would happen in you were to load an arch from above or if the structure were to be cracked in one place... how could it be repaired effectively. The testing must have been really fun. So amazing!

[GWW]

I work in the precast concrete industry and when I saw this I was excited. I have thought about this method of construction for a while, and how it could be achieved. The biggest roadblocks I run into is viscosity and curing rate vs. strength. I feel that a 1 story low profile building is definitely achievable ... don't know so much about the hollow part, but I have been part of small structure designs where mostly the walls were supporting things in compression. those little stints they are laying in the path of the printer remind me of carbon rods, which are actually pretty strong..... but they need to consider wind load if they are going to attempt a multistory story buildings. I can't imagine how they would procedurally reinforce that. I have pondered what would happen in you were to load an arch from above or if the structure were to be cracked in one place... how could it be repaired effectively. The testing must have been really fun. So amazing!

Yeah. Very exciting stuff. The curing rate would be a major concern for me. seems like the later layers will be going down on very "green" concrete.

The printer he is using looks very similar to the Prusa i3 right? Would that be the most similar model? Curious to see the finished product and how successful he was going up the second level.