Although 3D printing is only slightly more than four decades old, the rate of progress and technological advancements have been simply mind-boggling.
Many people even have 3D printers in their homes these days, which they use to manufacture items that they can use or sell.
Even human organs are being 3D printed now, providing shorter wait times for organs, patient-specific organs, a reduced need for immunosuppressants, decreased animal testing, improved research, and personalized medical care.
Big or small, just about everything is being 3D printed these days — and homes and buildings are no exception.
The first prototype 3D-printed house was completed in 2021 and required 200 hours to print. The technology is still in the early stages of adoption and is mainly used for experimental projects, prototypes, or small-scale developments.
The Wall Street Journal reports on the growing pains in the area of 3D-printed construction. Here’s the start of the story:
A Walmart Supercenter’s new expansion is one of the largest 3-D printed commercial real-estate projects in U.S. history. Its bumpy road to completion illustrates the new technology’s promise and shortcomings.
The retail giant added the 8,000-square-foot space to its Athens, Tenn., location to hold items customers buy online for pickup or delivery. Walmart, which has more than 200 other additions like this in the pipeline, wanted to see if 3-D printing could get the job done faster and more cost-effectively.
But working outdoors in Tennessee’s summer heat and high humidity proved to be a problem for this budding technology. The job finished weeks behind schedule after construction crews contended with finicky material and clogged hoses. The cost of building by 3-D technology also was roughly the same as traditional construction.
“There’s a number of things that we’ve learned,” said Patrick Callahan, chief executive of the four-year-old company Alquist 3D, which was hired by Walmart for the project.
A lot is riding on working out those kinks. Venture capitalists have pumped billions into 3-D printing startups in recent years, believing they will soon be able to mass-produce components for the semiconductor and aerospace industries.