ICON Vulcan Technology

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ICON presents bigger, faster Vulcan 3D printer » 3dpbm

Introduction

In this modern era, new innovations are becoming ever so necessary in different industries. In my opinion, one of the most ground-breaking inventions in the last 40 years has been the 3D printer. 3D printers allow people to create prototypes of items without the use of non-eco friendly resources. And this is where ICON comes in, as its a company that manufactures advanced construction technologies, mainly 3D printers. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. To most people this firm might sound like just another manufacturing company but it’s far from it. Their so-called “Vulcan” 3D printer is specifically built to construct houses in less than a day, and has features that are nowhere available, such as being able to be operated by anyone with basic training thanks to the improvements in automation, mechatronics and a suite of specialized software. That’s one amazing feature to name a few, knowing as they have also achieved astonishing records such as being the first to deliver 3D-printed homes in the US and Mexico.

Introducing the Vulcan 3D Printer for Homes | ICON

Why Vulcan?

As many of you already know, 3D printing is beneficial in many aspects. It’s more efficient/faster, more affordable and it actually constructs a building that has better building performance than regularly built homes. It’s also more comfortable, uses less energy, and it opens up tons of design freedom allowing it’s user to be only limited by their imagination. But what makes Vulcan stand out from these ordinary 3D Printers is it’s features. It has Tablet-based controls, advanced UI, automated material mixing, pumping, and delivery, safety features, remote monitoring, and on-board lighting for printing at night or in low-light conditions. According to their website, it’s also 2.5x faster and has a 4x larger print area compared to the usual 3D printer. I believe that the overlooked part about 3D printers is how durable they are. The Vulcan 3D printer is not only extremely durable, but it’s also built to be able to keep working in non-ideal conditions such as seismic zones, flood-prone areas and a variety of climates.

ICON Announces Vulcan II Construction 3D Printer « Fabbaloo

What kind of awards has ICON won so far?

The accolades that ICON has won so far are truly incredible to say the least. Here is a short summary of all of them.

  • TIME Magazine’s ‘Best Inventions of 2018’ and TIME100 Next list featuring Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO
  • Forbes ’30 Under 30′ featuring Alex Le Roux, co-founder and CTO
  • Fast Company ‘World’s Most Innovative Companies’ for 2019, 2020, and 2021
  • Red Dot Design Award 2021
  • Fast Company ‘World Changing Ideas’ General Excellence 2020
  • Fast Company ‘Innovation By Design’ 2019, 2020, 2021
  • Popular Science ‘Best of What’s New/Best Innovations of 2018’
  • MIT’s ‘Innovators Under 35’ featuring Alex Le Roux
  • Edison Awards finalist for 2019
  • SXSW Pitch Award – Social Good category 2018

Surely there are some setbacks?

With every new innovation and invention there are sure to be some negatives. Personally, I don’t necessarily see many issues with their “Vulcan” 3D Printer. The main one though that comes to mind is the price. I mean yes, not everyone can afford this product but ultimately, ICON wasn’t intending the customers to be “ordinary” people, seeing as it’s primary focus is to build comfortable houses. Another negative could be the loss of many jobs as a result of wide use of such 3D printers, but I believe that if we restrict the advancement of technology solely fearing the job losses, then we wont advance. The usual drawbacks of 3D printers, such as having to print out separate parts, do not apply to Vulcan, as it’s built to print out tiny houses in less than a day.

ICON's 3D printer for homes wins international award with high-tech, easy  to use design - DISENO YUCATAN

Summary

In summary, I genuinely believe that the Vulcan 3D printer will revolutionize the way homes are built in the future. The features that it brings to the table and taking into account the awards that it has won so far for being innovative, reassures me more about it’s future. Although in my opinion, having the whole world getting used to 3D printers would definitely prove to be a challenge, the merits that it has are inevitable. With the help of Vulcan, the process of building houses in the future will be significantly more faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and hopefully better!

Sources:

FAQ | ICON (iconbuild.com)

3D Printing Homes – Vulcan II – YouTube

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