First 3D-printed house in US assembled in hours
Habitat for Humanity teams with Alquist 3D to build nation’s first 3D-printed home
Cost to 3D print homes could save builders 15 percent: CEO
Alquist 3D founder and CEO Zachary Mannheimer says his company sees construction cost savings in four key areas.
The nation’s first-ever 3D-printed home was assembled in just 22 hours, Alquist 3D CEO and founder Zachary Mannheimer said during an interview on "Varney and Co."
The printing company has teamed up with the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity to provide 3D-printed homes to families in need, spanning from Virginia to Arizona.
"It was printed on the spot," Mannheimer told FOX Business host Stuart Varney of the first completed house in Richmond, Virginia.
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"We printed all the exterior walls, so the foundation is laid as normal," he continued. "It almost functions like a layer cake."
According to Mannheimer, traditional concrete gets pumped through a tube that connects to the printer head.
"The print head moves in a pattern that we define ahead of time in terms of the design," he said.
Walls are built in layers on the first floor of a building shell using a 3D concrete printer. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Currently, Alquist saves 10 to 15% on 3D printing production costs versus traditional stick-built homes.
"We think that's only going to climb over the next 24 months," Mannheimer said. "We're expecting to get to 30% savings."
Mannheimer pointed to four key areas where the company saves most of its money: labor, material, time and energy.
"You only need about three to four humans to operate the printer," he said, adding that "concrete costs less than traditional lumber."
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3D printing company builds house in 22 hours
Alquist 3D founder and CEO Zachary Mannheimer explains how they 3D printed a house for Habitat for Humanity in less than a day.
Mannheimer hopes that the company will get better at printing as more homes are completed.