Worlds largest 3D printed neighborhood nears completion

ICON's Vulcan printer in Georgetown, Texas is nearing completion of 100 homes in the Wolf Ranch community, creating the world's largest 3D-printed neighborhood.

ICON’s Vulcan printer, which is 45 feet wide and weighs 4.75 tons, builds layer by layer like a desktop 3D printer but on a much larger scale. It is completing its final home in Georgetown.

3D printing replaces multiple construction crews to build wall systems with just one worker and one robot, bringing high efficiency to the commercial market.

After concrete powder, water, sand and various additives are mixed together to create a toothpaste-like mixture and pumped into the printer, the nozzle releases the mixture gradually layer by layer according to a pre-set route to create the walls.

ICON's Vulcan printer takes just about three weeks to complete a one-story, three- to four-bedroom home with a foundation and metal roof installed using conventional methods.

The concrete walls are engineered to be resistant to water, mold, termites, and extreme weather conditions. They also provide excellent insulation, keeping the interior cool even when the air conditioning isn’t running at full capacity in Texas’ hot weather.

However, the wireless internet signal that travels through the 3D-printed wall doesn’t seem to be very good. To solve this problem, instead of relying on a traditional router, most homeowners in Wolf Ranch use mesh wifi, which transmits signals from multiple devices placed throughout the house.

ICON 3D printed its first house in Austin in 2018, and the company’s goal is to take the technology to the Moon. NASA has contracted ICON as part of its Artemis lunar exploration program, to develop systems to build landing pads, shelters, and other structures on the lunar surface.