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A Printer That Can Print a 2,500 Square Foot House in 20 Hours

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Re: A Printer That Can Print a 2,500 Square Foot House in 20 Hours

#72
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, wave a wand and say "a robot will do it". That doesn't count as "A printer that can print a 2500 sq ft house". Even imagine the robot exists: how exactly does it just 'plug in' the plumbinb and electrical systems? Currently it takes a person to scramble all over the house, drilling and fitting and connecting. There is nothing being solved here. Just a blue-sky story about an imaginary printer.

I am glad to see your justified skepticism of 3-d printer mania. The real breakthroughs will come when people stop fixating on "printing" (extrusion) and realize it's the 3-d (4-d, 5-d, etc.) gantry that's the super-useful part. Fitted with different tools, such as painting, gluing and sanding tools, a 3-d gantry can be extremely useful. There will however continue to be a "last mile" problem in Computer-Assisted Man…

I would love to see a 3-d printer friend explain to me how it's going to build a guitar from scratch.

http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-worlds-first-3d-printed-guitar

edit - and a video of a 3d printed violin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU3AZmf6O7I

Re: A Printer That Can Print a 2,500 Square Foot House in 20 Hours

#73
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Prefab needs a factory to make the prefab sections. Also, you can lay down multiple materials by making the head swappable. I would also say plumbing and electrics are nowhere near as complex as they used to be. Everything is available as clip-on fittings these days, which is perfect for automation.

> Prefab needs a factory to make the prefab sections. Why do you think one or more significantly smaller printers couldn't be used as an on-site prefab factory? That seems like a much more reasonable way to approach this problem.

I like this idea and was thinking just the same. The real advantage is customizability at scale.

Re: A Printer That Can Print a 2,500 Square Foot House in 20 Hours

#74

Sigh, if this guy had an actual 3D printer he would realize those doors and windows are a no-go :-) More seriously, there are unsolved issues in printing unsupported structures, the current best solution is a second 'support' material that can be dissolved/blown away once the part is completed but that rules out voids which are part of what you hope to make with this sort of thing. Also as others point out this is ju…

This is TED. The majority of stuff presented there requires antimatter spherical cows in vacuum to work. At best.

TEDx, at least. TED itself is usually (but not always) fairly well vetted. TEDx on the other hand is almost anything goes.

"The event featured talks on crystal therapy and Egyptian psychoaromatherapy and, according to the schedule, closed with the chanting of mantras and songs for Gaia."

http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/10/3751786/ted-pseudoscience...

Re: A Printer That Can Print a 2,500 Square Foot House in 20 Hours

#75
As the owner of a physibles domain name, and hopefully one day a company; fanciful stories like this are a bit too soon. Actually, I hope we never have to resort to living in manufactured houses. The overly strict building codes and approval processes in the U.S. might bring this kind of building a reality though. Right now, I think we need to work on ending homelessness. Yes, build pyramids in the middle of the country where land is still cheap. Nothing fancy, but livable. Kinda like kibbutzes, but on a much larger scale.

Re: A Printer That Can Print a 2,500 Square Foot House in 20 Hours

#76
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am glad to see your justified skepticism of 3-d printer mania. The real breakthroughs will come when people stop fixating on "printing" (extrusion) and realize it's the 3-d (4-d, 5-d, etc.) gantry that's the super-useful part. Fitted with different tools, such as painting, gluing and sanding tools, a 3-d gantry can be extremely useful. There will however continue to be a "last mile" problem in Computer-Assisted Man…

I would love to see a 3-d printer friend explain to me how it's going to build a guitar from scratch. http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-worlds-first-3d-printed-guitar edit - and a video of a 3d printed violin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU3AZmf6O7I

[deleted]

Re: A Printer That Can Print a 2,500 Square Foot House in 20 Hours

#77

So, I realize that the return on investment for VCs in something like this is probably pretty low--the AEC industry is terrible (though real estate is alright). That said, can we at least be honest that having that much capital locked up in stupid consumer and enterprise gambles is actually a pretty obviously sub-optimal use of that money for the common good?

No, we can't be "honest" and accept your wild claim about the best use of capital.

The entire economy is based on the market determining the efficient allocation of capital. This is not an absolute truth, but an approximation based on hundreds of years of theoretical and empirical work. In the absence of significant market frictions that would drive capital away from the AEC industry (and low profits are not a market friction) there is no reason to think that the current allocation of capital is inefficient.

Re: A Printer That Can Print a 2,500 Square Foot House in 20 Hours

#78

I love this idea, but where would this be useful? Is there really a shortage of single family homes anywhere? Maybe in some sort of disaster area or 3rd world, but I imagine there are better/easier/cheaper alternatives for those situations.

The aim is to make them cheaper, and with less injury to workers

Re: A Printer That Can Print a 2,500 Square Foot House in 20 Hours

#80

Sigh, if this guy had an actual 3D printer he would realize those doors and windows are a no-go :-) More seriously, there are unsolved issues in printing unsupported structures, the current best solution is a second 'support' material that can be dissolved/blown away once the part is completed but that rules out voids which are part of what you hope to make with this sort of thing. Also as others point out this is ju…

> Sigh, if this guy had an actual 3D printer he would realize those doors and windows are a no-go :-) If you notice guy obviously competent and expeirienced in the field presenting something stupid it's more likely than not that you are missing piece of knowlege that is required for understaning why it actually isn't stupid. Just watch the movie. It shows how to deal with doors and windows.

They use a crane to lift a beam across the top of the windows/doors, and then continue printing over that.

http://youtu.be/JdbJP8Gxqog?t=4m50s

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