Revolutionizing Construction: The Rise of 3D-Printed Homes

10 December 2023

Revolutionizing Construction: The Rise of 3D-Printed Homes

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The construction industry is undergoing a paradigm shift as 3D printing technology emerges as a transformative force. Once confined to the realm of prototyping and small-scale manufacturing, 3D printing is now poised to revolutionize the way we build homes, making them more affordable, efficient, and sustainable.

A Process of Precision and Innovation

3D printing for construction utilizes specialized printers that extrude layers of material, typically concrete or a combination of concrete and other composites, to form the walls and structures of buildings. This process offers several key advantages over traditional construction methods.

Speed and Efficiency: 3D printing can significantly accelerate the construction process, cutting down build times from months to days. This efficiency stems from the automated nature of printing, which eliminates the need for manual labor and reduces the number of construction stages.
Reduced Waste and Material Optimization: 3D printing eliminates waste by precisely extruding the required amount of material, minimizing overages and ensuring that each component is perfectly shaped. This optimization leads to a more efficient use of resources and a lower environmental impact.
Design Flexibility and Customization: 3D printing opens up new possibilities for architectural design, allowing for the creation of intricate shapes and complex structures that would be difficult or impossible to achieve using traditional methods. This flexibility enables architects to design homes that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also functionally optimized.

Addressing Global Housing Challenges

The potential of 3D-printed homes is particularly significant in addressing the global housing crisis. With an estimated 2 billion people lacking adequate shelter, there is an urgent need for innovative solutions that can provide affordable and sustainable housing options. 3D printing offers several advantages in tackling this challenge:

Drastically Reduced Construction Costs: The automation and efficiency of 3D printing can significantly reduce labor costs, which typically account for a substantial portion of the overall construction budget. This cost reduction can help make homes more accessible to individuals and communities with limited financial resources.
Scalable Production: 3D printing can be readily scaled up to meet the growing demand for housing. As technology advances and printing equipment becomes more affordable, the ability to produce multiple homes simultaneously further enhances its potential for mass production.
Adaptability to Different Environments: 3D printing can be deployed in various locations, including remote areas or regions with limited infrastructure, making it a versatile solution for addressing housing challenges across diverse geographical contexts.

Current Developments and Future Outlook

The field of 3D-printed housing is rapidly evolving, with numerous companies and research institutions exploring innovative applications and advancements.

Bio-based Materials: Scientists are investigating the use of bio-based materials such as mycelium, a natural building material derived from fungi, to create sustainable and eco-friendly 3D-printed structures.
Integrated Systems: Efforts are underway to integrate 3D printing with other construction technologies, such as robotic assembly and smart home systems, to create fully integrated and automated building processes.
Regulation and Standardization: As the technology matures, regulatory bodies and industry standards are being developed to ensure the safety, quality, and durability of 3D-printed homes.

The future of 3D-printed housing holds immense promise for transforming the construction industry and addressing the global housing shortage. With further advancements in technology, reduced costs, and regulatory support, 3D printing is poised to revolutionize the way we build our homes, making them more affordable, sustainable, and adaptable to the needs of society.

Sources:

Tagged 3D printing, new technology

29 December 2022

3 Comments

Software

Food of the Future: Agricultural waste is used for growing synthetic meat.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Eating meat is a way of life for many people. Meat is considered essential source of protein and contains many other nutrients. But it is also known that the breeding of poultry and cattle is inefficient and requires a huge amount of resources. Huge areas, water and fodder for livestock are given to pastures. In addition, cattle breeding harms the atmosphere. At the same time, the world’s population is growing relentlessly. Scientists estimate that by 2050 the world’s population will grow from the current 7.7 to 9.7 billion, and by the end of the century it will reach 11 billion people. Naturally, the issue of feeding a growing population becomes more acute.

That is why marketologists and statisticians predict in the coming years the growth of the market for artificial meat from laboratory, which is gaining fame on the wave of interest in responsible consumption. Startups around the world are creating a new industry, promising salvation for the environment without compromises on taste, composition and quality.

I believe humanity is doomed to abandon natural meat and replacement of animal products is becoming a common practice in modern society. Meat substitutes are created using protein synthesis, which involves combining amino acids to form a new type of protein. Scientists have come a long way in creating realistic substitutes for vegetable and animal protein. However, the future of meat synthesis is still unknown.

From my perspective, the best way to create realistic meat substitutes is biotechnology. Scientists are learning to synthesize different types of proteins from plants. But there is one problem: the production of a high-quality analogue of meat, which has the same taste and qualities, is now too expensive. But recently, a team of scientists from Singapore and China has made a breakthrough in this area. They have found a way to use food waste to grow meat, reducing production costs and helping to make cultured meat a potential food option for people in the future.

Muscle cells multiply easily and vigorously in nutrient media, but need a wireframe to give them a characteristic shape to become meat. Without it, the meat will most likely resemble a lump of mashed potatoes. Unique wireframes can be created using new 3D printing technology. However, it is difficult and expensive, as it requires the use of food and safe neutral substances. The use of collagen or gelatin destroys the idea of sprouts because they are extracted from the flesh of living organisms, and edible polymers are too expensive. Finding cost-effective edible ink for printing is one of the major challenges in the production of cultured meat.

In search of an alternative, scientists paid attention to agricultural waste in the form of barley and rye husks. Modern technologies make it possible to extract proteins, which, after processing, can be turned into the basis of “ink” for 3D printers and scaled to create the same framework for the growth of muscle tissue.This technology allows more efficient processing of products and significantly reduces the need for animal husbandry.

I believe that this method of printing using such ink has great potential for future meat synthesis. The husk that remains from the grains is not suitable for food and in fact it is thrown away. This is a cheap resource that can be used quite successfully. I believe that the ideal option in the future may be further development in this area, finding new sources that can serve as a framework for growing stem cells. This creates less harm to nature, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, since no animal dies for this food source, which is more ethical. In addition, this type of meat synthesis can help produce meat faster than traditional methods.

In conclusion, the idea of scientists pushed me to another idea: the way to our survival is the reuse and recycling of resources. In any field, whether it is the production of synthetic meat or any other. We are now at a stage of development where we can no longer be mere consumers and only take resources from nature, but must find and use other ways to meet our needs.

https://phys.org/news/2022-12-3d-printing-ink-cultured-meat-cost-effective.html

https://www.impomag.com/training-development/news/22605050/new-3d-printing-ink-could-make-cultured-meat-more-costeffective

Демографические изменения | Организация Объединенных Наций (un.org)

Tagged 3D printing, biotechnology, plant-based food

26 December 2022

4 Comments

AI, Devices

Will 3D printing serve a greater purpose in the future?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

3D printing is quickly becoming a mature manufacturing technology. It’s useful for prototypes and offers significant benefits for small and medium-sized production runs. Using additive manufacturing, which refers to the production of three-dimensional parts formed layer by layer by using a metal powder that is melted with a metal source, 3D printers create high-quality products. These revolutionary machines have been used in different areas. With the level of constant development, the device is going to make a greater impact in the future.

Specialists argue that in the next 20 years 3D printers would be able to print large-scale houses. The device would print the building layer by layer using jets of concrete and would be able to create a two-story building just within a day. Some people however criticize this idea. They argue that such houses will not be reliable or solid and would easily collapse. In my opinion, this is a revolutionary innovation and as long as they use all the required materials and equipment to create the houses, I think the structure would be solid enough and of course after a thorough inspection. This 3D printer would make things simpler for constructors and multiple buildings would be constructed within a day.

Another aspect in which 3D printing devices and equipment would serve a greater purpose in the future is in the area of medicine. There are predictions that in years to come, 3D printers would be able to print bones or even organs, which may be the only way to save a patient’s life. There are arguments if this can be effective and if it would not cause harm or endangerment to the patient rather than help. I’m not fully convinced about this idea, because it may be odd to have a printed organ in your system or body.

3D bioprinting: Is this the future of organ transplantation?

Therefore, there are multiple areas in which 3D printing could serve a greater purpose in the future. There are also other aspects in which 3D printing would serve as help that were not mentioned in this blog, such as in engineering, aerospace, rail or robotics. What do you think? Is the idea of 3D printing revolutionary?

Sources/References:

https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/horizon-magazine/what-does-future-hold-3d-printing

https://www.hubs.com/guides/3d-printing/

https://www.primaadditive.com/en/additive-manufacturing-solutions?gclid=Cj0KCQiA14WdBhD8ARIsANao07gGmmn_0V7KMy6ATwAmSVmh1B9zIxNfXJeQ9hxyh3kJrv-FAI62pR0aAsxxEALw_wcB

https://www.ascm.org/ascm-insights/6-predictions-for-the-future-of-3d-printing/

Tagged 3D printing, future, new technology

21 November 2022

1 Comment

Bez kategorii, Devices

Characteristics of Stereolithography – underrated 3D printing technique.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Known also as resin printing or SLA is at the moment one of two leading methods of 3D printing. However, often is overlooked by classical (FDM) printing due to the greater development potential.

How does it work?

The most visible and obvious element is the liquid container usually filled with polymers from which products are made. That said main part is located at the base of the printer – lasers. By focusing a few different laser beams with galvanometers at the polymer it is possible to selectively change resin from liquid to solid state and by repetitively lowering the platform (commonly located at the upper part of the machine) structures can be built from upside down.

Qualities

Building models from many consecutive layers (less than 1 millimetre thick) offers high quality and is comparable to FDM’s faster time of building. There is also a wide range of materials for different types of professions to work with. There are polymers developed specifically for dentists, engineers, designers and even jewellers each with distinct properties suited for the needed job.

Future development

Thinking about the future of 3D printing we usually see houses made in days or fashionable clothes created from flexible materials printed in our homes. However, what if we add to this vision high-resolution tools made in minutes, models not shown on slides but in the real world? Perhaps it will be used for printing food whenever we want without any wasted products? Right now some printers can use gelatin or other biomaterial resins to print complex structures.

Well-explained video of the production process

References:

https://www.hubs.com/knowledge-base/what-is-sla-3d-printing/

https://formlabs.com/eu/blog/ultimate-guide-to-stereolithography-sla-3d-printing/#Why%20Choose%20SLA%203D%20Printing%3F

Tagged 3D printing, technology

22 June 2022

3 Comments

Bez kategorii

Printing with sound. Sounds interesting?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

3D printing is a method of applying a building material layer by layer and its selective bonding. Each technology uses a different material that is bonded in a different way. 3D printing can be divided according to the material used. There are three basic groups of 3D printing: thermoplastics in the form of a line, light-curable resins and powder technologies. But now thanks to Muthukumaran Packirisamy and Mohsen Habibi we can add one additional method to that list.

An alternative to the traditional solutions, using plastics and sometimes other substances, 3D printing techniques called direct sound printing (DSP), which uses ultrasound to create new objects, was created in the laboratory of the Canadian University of Concordia. A researcher’s work on this subject describes this method of using focused ultrasound waves to induce reactions in areas of small cavitation, which is essentially tiny bubbles. Extreme temperature and pressure changes lasting trillionths of a second can result in predesigned complex geometries that cannot be produced with known additive techniques.
“We found that if we use a certain type of ultrasound with a certain frequency and power, we can create very local, very focused chemically reactive regions,” Habibi says. “Basically, the bubbles can be used as reactors to drive chemical reactions to transform liquid resin into solids or semi-solids.”

Researchers experimented on a polymer used in 3D printing called polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). They used the transducer to generate an ultrasonic field that passes through the shell of construction material, solidifying the target liquid resin and depositing it on a platform or other previously solidified object. The transducer follows a programmed path, creating the desired product pixel by pixel. The microstructure parameters can be manipulated by adjusting the duration of the ultrasonic wave frequency and the viscosity of the material used. According to the authors of the technique, it is potentially an excellent alternative to the 3D printing technique in many applications.

References:
https://www.eurasiareview.com/01062022-direct-sound-printing-is-a-potential-game-changer-in-3d-printing/

Tagged 3D printing, technology

3 January 2022

2 Comments

Bez kategorii

Fantasy creatures among us

Reading Time: 2 minutes

A baby dragon, a cat with wings, and a pixie with a puck – the characters from different mythologies were created on 3D print as sculptures in the greenhouse of the Siberian Botanical Garden of Tomsk State University.

Stories about winged cars can be found in different cultures of the past. For example, in Ancient Egypt, a goddess named Pasht had a body of a winged cat. In countries of Turkic origin like Tatarstan and Kazakhstan, there are still symbols of winged cars, more precisely of snow leopards. However, there are scientific explanations for the origin of stories about winged cats. A winged cat may appear to have wings because of poor grooming or birth defects.

Pixies are very small and magical creatures who throw funny parties and give blessings across the countryside in England. They wear pointed hats while having pointed ears. Although they can be mischievous, most time they are cheerful and helpful to people. It was said that if you show an iron cross to them they would turn away and go.

Puck is quite similar to a pixie though it has horns and in Norse folklores is a nature spirit, who does everything to save trees and plants from people. Puck supposedly appears in all sorts of guises to confuse people and play little tricks on them. And according to old tales, these spirits would be happy to have new clothes because they walked naked.

Baby dragons are playful and hunting animals with sharp teeth and visible claws. While living in a nest with a mother for some time, after growing up they become big and independent as well as being able to breathe flames. Since these creatures are visibly and culturally connected with dinosaurs, the sculpture of a dragonling is in the Evolution of Plants exhibition, with the group of plants that have been existing during the age of dinosaurs. These are cycads, clubmosses, horsetails, ferns, and ginkgo.

The whole idea was to create photographic, moisture-resistant sculptures that would complement the greenhouse exhibition and draw visitors’ attention to mythical creatures. The models of the sculptures were designed and printed on a 3D printer, then polished and painted to look like a stone.

Links:

https://www.allthingsnature.org/what-is-a-winged-cat.htm
https://www.infobloom.com/who-is-puck.htm
https://habr.com/en/company/top3dshop/blog/596297/
https://www.mythical-creatures.com/pixie/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winged_cat
https://tools.bgci.org/plant_search.php

Tagged 3D, 3D printing

3 January 2022

3 Comments

Bez kategorii

First 3D-printed home

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Virginia family gets keys to Habitat for Humanity’s 1st 3D-printed home in the US

The house was printed by Alquist – it uses 3D printing for “exceptional design”, reducing construction and infrastructure prices. In the future, the company plans to build not only single-family homes, but also multi-unit, mixed, and nursing homes throughout the United States.

The 111 square meter facility was “printed” in the Williamsburg area in 12 hours, ahead of the standard construction schedule by at least four weeks. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom design is based on a fast-setting concrete frame. According to the developers, the material has long-term benefits – it retains temperature well and is resistant to damage. The printers have reduced construction costs by 15%. A Raspberry Pi-based computer is responsible for monitoring home systems. The developed algorithms not only monitor safety but also control light, water and heating sensors, reducing utility costs. In the future, the house is planned to be equipped with solar panels.

Interestingly, a compact 3D printer was also installed in one of the rooms, which will allow reprinting the necessary parts – from door handles to switches.

Conclusion In my opinion, this is a great time and cost savings and this technology will take place in the future. What do you think about this?

links https://www.alquist3d.com/ http://orion-int.ru/kompaniya-alquist-napechatala-na-3d-printere-dom-v-kotoryj-vpervye-v-ssha-zaselili-semyu/

Tagged 3D printing, Future Home Life

23 April 2021

How challenging is it to produce vegan cheese?

Reading Time: 5 minutes

The answer to the question is: pretty hard. With the rise of veganism over the last couple of years, individuals eating a primarily plant-based diet have been the target of multiple companies, who have taken it upon themselves to produce vegan alternatives to a variety of ‘traditional’ animal products. Unfortunately, the available alternatives are more often than not a flop – with a weird, chewy texture, lack of taste, and an expensive price tag. Seeing as plant-based diets, even if applied in a limited capacity (reducing the intake of animal products throughout the week), are and will for sure continue to gain popularity, the demand for animal-free alternatives will also rise. Companies will inevitably need to step up their game, and come up with solutions which will satisfy the taste buds of customers. Let’s take a look at one of the game-changers of the ‘vegan technology’ industry.

Example of a plant-based creamy cheese made by Prfect Day – look at that texture!

One of the products which (speaking from personal experience) is especially hard to replicate in a plant-based way is cheese, which has a distinctive and hard to copy taste and texture. To highlight just how big of a deal cheese is, it has been estimated that by 2030 the global vegan cheese market will triple in value to $7 billion. Rising to meet the demand and the challenge of replacing traditional cheese with a plant-based product is Ryan Pandya and his company Perfect Day. Pandya is a graduate chemical and biological engineering, so when in 2014 he was appalled at the existing alternatives to cheese, he decided to take action. He wanted to find what was the ‘magic ingredient’ in animal milk which couldn’t be found in plant-based alternatives. “Coming at it from a scientific perspective, you can’t help but realise that there’s no magic in cows or in milk,” he says. “It’s just chemistry and biology. So it stands to reason that if you had an almond milk that had whatever ingredients are in cow’s milk, and you make it act like cow’s milk, you would have a vegan version of milk.”

Pandya eventually identified the magic ingredients as casein and whey protein, which ensure that milk and milk-based products (for instance cheese, obviously) have a creamy texture and its distinctive tangy taste. Casein in particular (which has such a variable structure that there’s a lack of consensus over what it actually looks like) is the coagulating component that causes real cheese to stretch, melt and bubble so deliciously.

Fermentation is the new alchemy (according to Perfect Day)

Taking a closer look at the technology behind Perfect Day’s plant-based products, at the heart of the process is fermentation – the company makes dairy proteins from plant sugars. Fermentation is, in a nutshell, a way microorganisms convert food into energy in an environment with no oxygen. The method of fermentation Perfect Day uses is known as precision fermentation, allowing the company to make super specific, highly pure ingredients. In the process, microflora convert sugar into whey and casein, dairy proteins that are useful to food makers for their top-notch nutrition, functionality, and versatility.

Perfect Day utilises fermentation tanks (or bioreactors) to provide microflora with the adequate conditions to make lots of protein. The fermentation tank is filled with so-called ‘growth media’, a liquid containing plant-based sugars that microflora thrive on. Then, the growth media is inoculated with microflora. The environment inside the bioreactor is controlled by adjusting the temperature, pressure, pH, and stirring action to give the flora the perfect conditions to eat, grow, and multiply. As they consume sugar and increase exponentially, they also pump out copious amounts of our desired protein. The fermentation process ends when the flora stop multiplying and the sugar is all used up. The protein is separated from the microflora and then dried, and results in an extreme pure protein powder ready for use by food makers.

The fermentation process is actually the last step in Perfect Day’s process. Before microflora (called Trichoderma) undergoes fermentation, it receives the ‘recipe’ for making the specific whey protein which can be found in cow’s milk. The scientist at Perfect Day identified before starting the whole process which specific protein carries the properties we want, and utilised a widely accessible database (UniProt) of a cow’s sequenced genome to get the recipe for this specific protein. Then they “copied” the genetic information regarding the wanted protein and “pasted” it into the genome of microflora Trichoderma. The microflora understands the instructions and incorporates the DNA into its own genome. Then a process called homologous recombination takes place, which basically means that the flora searches the broken segments in its own DNA, and when it finds a gap with ends that match the connector’s ends, the flora fills the gap with that connector. Then the new gene is permanently incorporated into Trichoderma’s genome.

As you can see, the process of Perfect Day is fascinating and quite “simple” on paper. I especially appreciate the company giving such details of their process, so that such tech nerds as us can take a closer look at it.

Perfect Day is one of many companies currently innovating in the field of so-called vegan technology. Another fascinating example of a company in this field is Revo Foods, an Austrian startup who is producing 3D-printed smoked salmon, which was developed using new technology based on 3D food printing to recreate the texture and appearance of seafood. During the process, ingredients such as pea protein, algae extracts, and dietary fibers are combined to create a base that is high in protein, omega 3, and B12. Pretty cool, huh?

I look forward to following not only what next steps companies like Perfect Day and Revo Foods take (Perfect Foods recently announced they are working on replicating cow’s milk fat), but also to actually trying out the products they offer. I wonder if the products are as good as they look (take a look below at more of Perfect Day’s cream cheeses).