0:00 - intro
Today we have some exciting new ventures across the globe in 3D printed buildings! From houses, to structures and even bridges, additive manufacturing is reshaping the world of construction and architecture to create incredibles pieces of work in less time and in some cases with less costs!
0:17 - Mighty Buildings
Starting off we have California based Mighty Buildings completing a new investment round of $22 milion. In case you haven't heard of them, they’ve found a niche in creating built-to-order houses and Accessory Dwelling Units like granny flats, in-law units, backyard cottages, and more. They’ve also proven that they can make these buildings in as little as 24 hours.
The company now totals $101M in total investments, after their $40M Series B funding round that was announced earlier this year.
What’s really cool is they’re using their proprietary photopolymer resin called Light Stone, as opposed to concrete like many others in the printable housing sector. They spent the first few years behind the scenes, to build a working viable product, and the hard work is finally starting to show. Compared to other technologies, their Light Stone Material is an absolute game changer, as it reduces the additional labor required for concrete, like curing times and steel reinforcement.
1:26 - 3D Printed Airbnb House
You might remember the Fibonacci house made by Twente Additive Manufacturing that we mentioned on a prior news episode and today, that house is available to book on Airbnb. The small, spiral shaped house took 11 days to construct and is complete with a furnished kitchen, living room, mezzanine and a bathroom. As of today it is still the only 3D printed home in the area, so if you’re looking for a one of a kind place to stay in the countryside of British Columbia, the Fibonacci house should definitely be on your list!
2:01 - China 3D Printed Retractable Bridge
Moving right along we have China’s first retractable 3D printed bridge. Now if you’ve been following 3D printing news for a while, 3D printed bridges are nothing new, especially in China but this new one has a neat trick up its sleeve. Located in Shanghai’s industrial center, this new 3D printed bridge, appropriately named Transformer, is actually capable of folding and unfolding on demand!
The 30 foot bridge has 9 segments with 36 3D printed triangular panels and is controlled by bluetooth. Additionally, the bridge is printed in a recycled polymer composite material. A plastic bridge? I’d trust it. As shown in the video, the bridge is capable of supporting one ton, or about 20 fully grown 100lb adults. If you happen to find yourself in Shanghai, you can visit the bridge in Wisdom Bay Park and while you're at it, check out the nearby museum dedicated to 3D printing.
3:00 - Amsterdam’s 3D Printed Bridge
In other bridge related news, the queen of the Netherlands has officially inaugurated the MX3D bridge in the city center of Amsterdam. The MX3D bridge spans one of Amsterdam’s many canals and is fully 3D printed in stainless steel! Now the bridge definitely sticks out like a sore thumb but for good reason as it’s shape was created with generative design, meaning its shape is completely optimized for weight and strength.The bridge is now open for residents and visitors to explore, and you’ll definitely want to check out the creation videos.
3:54 - World’s Largest 3D Printed Pavilion
The massive, pink, multidimensional hyperbolic structure upon first looks is a wild design with swoops, curves and overhangs that you definitely wouldn’t see in an ordinary structure. Kind of reminds me of EMP in Seattle. One of the problems with large scale 3D printing is the demand for both scale and precision and the team managed to overcome this with a special surface subdivision optimization algorithm to neatly divide the entire exterior shell into individual sections for printing.
5:11 - Question of the Day
So what was your favorite construction 3D printing project? Personally, those slick new homes on Mighty Buildings’ website makes it look phenomenal, but I think I’ll wait for a little more square footage :) let us know what YOU think in the comments.
Anyway, leave a comment and let us know what you thought of this video, news stories you thought were cool, or, of course, another funny comment!
At Vision Miner, we specialize in Functional 3D printing, especially high-performance plastics like PEEK, ULTEM, PPSU, PPS, CFPA, and more. If you're interested in using functional 3D printing and materials in your business, feel free to reach out, and we can help you make the right choice for your application.
Call 833-774-6863 or email contact@visionminer.com, and we're here to help!
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