Scientists in Valencia have created Spain's first 3D printed house - a 24m2 pilot model - the first house built in situ using a 3D Image printer.
The house was showcased adjacent to Valencia's Polytechnic University's (UPV) Faculty of Fine Arts by up-and-coming Valencian tech company Be More 3D.
According to the company's CEO, Vicente Ramírez, the house is the third in the world to be made entirely by digital means and was created using a concrete printer measuring 7m x 5m, the first 3D printer patented in Spain.
"It works like a concrete pastry piping bag that moves from side to side, pouring one layer of concrete on top of another. Afterwards, the layers melt together, quickly creating a reinforced concrete wall", explained Ramírez.
He emphasised the fact that this revolutionary system is different from other 3D printers because it is "more modular and versatile" as well as being easy to transport and assemble, allowing the house to be built in situ, in contrast to other similar machines where walls are 'printed' in one place but then have to be transported to the actual site where the house is going to be built.
Ramírez also pointed out other advantages when using this technology to construct buildings, like reduced construction lead times since "the structure can be built in 7 to 12 hours, and the build-time for a whole house could be as little as one and a half to two months"; a decrease in construction waste, making it ecologically mre viable; and a cut in production costs "by something like 35%".
The Valencia tech firm also highlighted the "new job opportunities" it created, saying "the machine doesn't perform magic : it builds supporting walls, saving time and money, but then we need builders, electricians, plumbers...". Antoher advantage of the technology is that it reduces the risk of work-related accidents as "there is no need to work high up off the ground as the machine does it all".
Be More 3D was founded in 2015 by four former UPV Construction Engineering students wanting to find practical applications for their 3D printing studies. After launching this prototype, they are now working on bringing 3D printed houses onto the market.
