World's Largest 3D Printed Community Nears Completion
2024-08-13
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1Like other 3D printers, the Vulcan printer puts down layer by layer of materials to build an object.
2However, this printer is more than 13.7 meters wide and prints homes for people to live in.
3This summer, the robotic printer from the homebuilder ICON will complete the last of the 100 3D-printed houses in Wolf Ranch, a community about 48 kilometers from Austin, Texas.
4ICON began printing the walls of what it says is the world's largest 3D-printed community in November 2022.
5Compared to traditional homebuilding, the company says 3D printing is faster, less costly, requires fewer workers, and reduces waste.
6Conner Jenkins, a project leader, said, "It brings a lot of efficiency to the trade market... So, when there were maybe five different crews coming in to build a wall system, we now have one crew and one robot."
7After concrete powder, water, sand and other additives are mixed together and put into the printer, a device called a nozzle releases the concrete mixture.
8The process looks like toothpaste being put onto a toothbrush, as the printer builds up the house layer by layer along an exact path.
9The three- to four-bedroom homes take about three weeks to finish printing, with the foundation and metal roofs put in place with traditional building methods.
10Jenkins said the concrete walls are designed to be resistant to water, mold, insects and extreme weather.
11Lawrence Nourzad, 32, and his girlfriend Angela Hontas, 29, purchased a Wolf Ranch home earlier this summer.
12"It feels like a fortress," Nourzad said, adding that he was confident the home would hold up to severe weather conditions.
13The walls also provide strong insulation from the Texas heat, the couple said.
14The materials keep the inside temperature cool even when the air conditioner is not put on high levels.
15There was one other thing the 3D-printed walls seemed to protect against, however: a solid wireless internet connection.
16Nourzad said, "Obviously these are really strong, thick walls. And that's what provides a lot of value for us as homeowners and keeps this thing really well-insulated in a Texas summer, but signal doesn't transfer through these walls very well."
17To deal with this issue, an ICON spokeswoman said most Wolf Ranch homeowners use mesh internet routers.
18These routers broadcast a signal from several units placed throughout a home, whereas a traditional router sends a signal from one device.
19The 3D-printed homes at Wolf Ranch cost from $450,000 to nearly $600,000.
20Developers said a little more than one quarter of the 100 homes have been sold.
21ICON, which 3D-printed its first home in Austin in 2018, hopes to one day take its technology to the Moon.
22NASA, as part of its Artemis Moon exploration program, has an agreement for ICON to develop a system capable of building landing pads, shelters, and other structures on the moon's surface.
23I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Like other 3D printers, the Vulcan printer puts down layer by layer of materials to build an object. However, this printer is more than 13.7 meters wide and prints homes for people to live in. 2This summer, the robotic printer from the homebuilder ICON will complete the last of the 100 3D-printed houses in Wolf Ranch, a community about 48 kilometers from Austin, Texas. 3ICON began printing the walls of what it says is the world's largest 3D-printed community in November 2022. 4Compared to traditional homebuilding, the company says 3D printing is faster, less costly, requires fewer workers, and reduces waste. 5Conner Jenkins, a project leader, said, "It brings a lot of efficiency to the trade market... So, when there were maybe five different crews coming in to build a wall system, we now have one crew and one robot." 6After concrete powder, water, sand and other additives are mixed together and put into the printer, a device called a nozzle releases the concrete mixture. The process looks like toothpaste being put onto a toothbrush, as the printer builds up the house layer by layer along an exact path. 7The three- to four-bedroom homes take about three weeks to finish printing, with the foundation and metal roofs put in place with traditional building methods. 8Jenkins said the concrete walls are designed to be resistant to water, mold, insects and extreme weather. 9Lawrence Nourzad, 32, and his girlfriend Angela Hontas, 29, purchased a Wolf Ranch home earlier this summer. 10"It feels like a fortress," Nourzad said, adding that he was confident the home would hold up to severe weather conditions. 11The walls also provide strong insulation from the Texas heat, the couple said. The materials keep the inside temperature cool even when the air conditioner is not put on high levels. 12There was one other thing the 3D-printed walls seemed to protect against, however: a solid wireless internet connection. 13Nourzad said, "Obviously these are really strong, thick walls. And that's what provides a lot of value for us as homeowners and keeps this thing really well-insulated in a Texas summer, but signal doesn't transfer through these walls very well." 14To deal with this issue, an ICON spokeswoman said most Wolf Ranch homeowners use mesh internet routers. These routers broadcast a signal from several units placed throughout a home, whereas a traditional router sends a signal from one device. 15The 3D-printed homes at Wolf Ranch cost from $450,000 to nearly $600,000. Developers said a little more than one quarter of the 100 homes have been sold. 16ICON, which 3D-printed its first home in Austin in 2018, hopes to one day take its technology to the Moon. 17NASA, as part of its Artemis Moon exploration program, has an agreement for ICON to develop a system capable of building landing pads, shelters, and other structures on the moon's surface. 18I'm Ashley Thompson. 19Evan Garcia reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20_______________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 223D printer - n. a device used to manufacture objects by depositing material in layers according to a pattern or model 23layer - n. a quantity of material covering a surface 24efficiency - n. the capability of producing desired results with little or no waste 25foundation -- n. a body or ground upon which something is built up 26mold - n. a growth produced especially on damp or decaying organic matter 27fortress - n. a large and permanent fortification 28insulation - n. special material that prevents transfer of electricity, heat, or sound 29transfer -- v. to move or convey from one place or situation to another