Page 41 2025 Spring Home and Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS April 2025 The next step is the actual printing process. The walls are printed layer-by-layer with an industrial sized 3D printer, similar to the way a conventional 3D printer prints items. They go on to say that after the printing process is finished, it is important to keep the structure moisturized for about a full day, either by spraying it down with water or covering it with a tarp. This prevents cracks and other imperfections from forming in the foundation. As for the time frame of this process, COBOD states “you can have the core of the building within a few hours or a few days, depending on the complexity of the building.” The final step is adding anything a home needs that is not able to be done in the printing process. This can include things such as the aforementioned windows and doors, but it also includes plumbing and electrical systems, among other things. Seeing as how this process is already being used to make 3D homes, how common are they? COBOD again has information on this. According to their website, by the end of 2022, there were 129 3D printed buildings, with thirty percent of those being found on the North American continent. It is likely that that number has increased significantly since 2022. According to a 2024 article from Reuters, an entire 3D printed neighborhood was nearing completion in Texas. This neighborhood, known as Wolf Ranch, is in the town of Georgetown, about thirty miles outside of Austin. Wolf Ranch has 100 3D printed homes, making it the largest 3D printed community in the world to date. According to ICON, the company that was in charge of constructing this 3D printed community, the homes are all three to four bedroom, single-story homes. The time for completion for these homes was about three weeks, including adding the roof to each structure. As for the price tag on these homes, that ranged from about $450,000 to $600,000. Just because these types of homes and buildings seem to be becoming more popular does not necessarily mean that they are better, however. How do these homes hold up to natural disasters such as wildfires or hurricanes? ICON has an article on their website addressing these concerns. According to ICON, their 2-beam load-bearing walls have a fire resistance of up to two hours, and they are working on making that three hours. ICON states that their homes that are rated for fire “offer occupants an extended window for safe evacuation in case of a fire.” Continued --
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