Scientific American
Your Next House May Pop Out of a 3D Printer
Giant 3D printers could transform building trades, cutting construction time and cost, and triggering a renaissance in innovative design.
A cycle bridge in Gemert, the Netherlands, which Dutch officials claim is the first in the world to be 3D printed. Credit:
Bart Maat/AFP via Getty Images
In the Netherlands, renowned for its canals, bridges are a common sight. But four bridges in particular are construction oddities: each 26-foot structure was fashioned from concrete by a giant robotic printer.
They are part of a revolution that is seeing 3D printers, which extrude plastic and other materials to build up solid objects, move from the tabletop to the construction lot. Since 2017, several companies and groups in the U.S., Europe and Asia have ‘printed’ bus-stop shelters and convention-hall partitions, as well as entire homes.