A robotics company has 3D printed nearly a hundred homes in Texas

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It took nearly two years, but a giant 3D-printed planned housing community is nearly complete in Georgetown, Texas.

Reuters Part of a community called Wolf Ranch, the homes are reportedly being built using a large 3D printer called Vulcan, which is 45 feet wide and weighs over 4.75 tons. The project is part of a joint venture between 3D printing construction developer ICON and homebuilder Lennar. The project will begin in November 2022 and is close to achieving its goal of building 100 homes using Vulcan by the end of the summer. Homeowners have already begun moving into some of the completed 3D printed homes, which range in price from $450,000 to $600,000. More than a quarter of the homes have been sold.

ICON’s 3D printers mix concrete powder, water, sand and other materials to stack tubes of concrete to build the walls and eventually the entire house. The homes are one-story, three- to four-bedroom buildings and take about three weeks to print. The foundations and metal roofs are built the old-fashioned way by human workers.

The printed walls look like giant corduroy but are designed to be durable and sustainable in harsh weather conditions. They are also water-resistant and energy-efficient. The home’s contemporary ranch-inspired design was provided by architecture firm BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. ICON press releaseThe construction process has also been streamlined over the course of the project. Connor Jenkins, Senior Project Manager at ICON said: Reuters The build started with five different construction teams but has since been pared down to one team and one robotic printer.

The only drawback is that the thickness of walls can interfere with WiFi signals, so residents will need to use a mesh internet router that broadcasts signals throughout the home rather than a single router.

ICON isn’t just using its large-scale 3D printers to build homes on Earth: NASA is reportedly interested in using the technology to build structures on the Moon for its Artemis lunar exploration program, which is scheduled to launch its first crew in September 2025.