The world’s largest 3D printer has launched in the US – and will be able to create new neighborhoods of affordable housing to help combat homelessness, officials said.
The machine, called Factory Of The Future 1.0, was built on the University of Maine campus and combines artificial intelligence with robotic operations and high-performance computing.
Government officials said the printer exceeded their expectations and “represents a beacon of innovation” — while U.S. Senator from Maine Susan Collins said it was a “great day for our university, our state and our nation “.
The campus is also home to the 2019 Guinness World Record for the largest polymer 3D printer, which can also create houses – but the new machine is said to be four times bigger.
The university wants to show how houses can be built almost entirely by a printer with a lower carbon footprint.
He said it allows them to scale up 3D printed home technology using bio-based materials to eventually print affordable housing neighborhoods to address homelessness in the region.
If buildings are not suitable, they can be recycled, officials added.
Habib Dagher, director of the university’s advanced structures and composites center, said: “You can basically deconstruct it, you can grind it up, if you want, the 3D printed parts, and reprint with them, do it again.”
The buildings and construction sector is responsible for around 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to the production and use of materials such as cement, steel and aluminum, which have a significant carbon footprint. according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
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The printer will be capable of producing objects up to 96 feet long and 32 feet wide, with a height of 18 feet.
Dr. Dagher said there is a shortage of affordable housing and workers to build homes – it is said Maine will need 80,000 more homes in the next six years.
The new machine offers opportunities for several sectors. Photo: AP
But the machine’s production speed of 227 kg (500 pounds) of material per hour means it will be able to create new homes at a good pace.
The university said the printer offers “new environmentally friendly and cost-effective manufacturing opportunities” for numerous industries.
These include national security, affordable housing, bridge construction, ocean and wind energy technologies and marine vessel manufacturing, he added.
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