3D printing and additive manufacturing is offering solid manufacturing solutions to many economic sectors. It’s almost a revolutionary technology that shall eventually replace the traditional manufacturing methods.
The technology is just a few decades old but is already offering brilliant solutions to various industries. For instance, Ford has gotten into deals with HP to make 3D-printed car parts. They are doing so by using recycled ink powder.
It’s just a matter of time until the automotive giants like Honda, Toyota, and even Tesla look into the potential of 3D printing and adopt it for themselves. So the potential is huge. In fact, 3D printing is causing serious disruptions in the construction sector. And that’s what we shall talk about.
In this article, we shall find certain pros and cons of 3D printing in the construction sector. Before we jump to that, let’s see the role of 3D printing in the real estate landscape:
How is 3D printing contributing to the construction segment?
3D printing was initially synonymous with rapid prototyping technology. The usage was limited, and the work scale was minimal. Eventually, the tech caught pace and has now come to a point where it’s making serious contributions in the construction field.
A lot of construction projects are now moving towards execution. A lot of people say that it offers great possibilities to solve the homelessness problems in various parts of the world. We shall now see the pros and cons of 3D printing in the construction sector.
Pros
Let’s begin with the positives first:
Lower costs
The sheer costs that 3D printing cuts in the construction sector are remarkable. Using this tech, the construction costs can roll down 70 to 75% easily.
This automatically makes this a lucrative option for the construction sector. One major reason why the barrier to entry is low for 3D printing in the construction sector is that real estate construction via traditional methods is very high.
It’s less hassle
A construction site with 3D printing services in sydney is a lot more manageable than with the traditional methods. The transportation cost reduces to almost zero, and overall, it’s better to build something using 3D printing.
It’s waste-free
3D printing is almost a zero-wastage manufacturing method.
That’s also one of the reasons why the costs are cut down when the construction sector proceeds with 3D printing. Wastage is a common issue in the existing construction landscape. 3D printing can easily bring it down to 30%.
Surely that’s a deal that will make a lot of investors and contractors happy.
Time reduction and design flexibility
3D printing is fast. What takes months to build can be built up in weeks with 3D printing.
Plus, there’s a lot of flexibility in terms of design. That offers a lot of room for experimentation to the contractors. And even other stakeholders.
Let’s now have a look at the cons
3D printing surely offers a lot of benefits, but there are also a few cons to consider.
Lacking legislation
This is one of the major reasons why people are reluctant to get into construction using 3D printing and additive manufacturing. There are no clear laws and rules regarding the real estate that’s made with this phenomenon.
Since there’s a lot of ambiguity, people don’t want to risk their money.
Material types
There are some limitations with the materials that can be used for construction using 3D printing. While metal and plastic requirements can easily be fulfilled, there’s a lot more that’s needed for construction.
However, there’s a lot of research and experimentation going on in this domain, and hopefully, the material options will increase as time goes by.
Engineering capabilities
There are not many resources available that can handle 3D printing tasks with absolute finesse. Facilities like CAD Deziners are offering stellar 3D Printing Services in Australia, but there aren’t many that can do a great job.
As 3D printing gets widely adopted, more and more people will jump into the scene to become 3D printing engineers and technicians. But as of now, finding the right help with 3D printing can be a little difficult.
What’s next?
If we were to give a final verdict, then it seems that the pros outweigh the cons. Most of the cons shall get addressed and eliminated with time.
With the construction projects that are already going on in African countries, the USA, and Canada, it seems that 3D printing shall become widely prevalent in the construction sector.
