vulcan II – Impact Lab

3D Printer, Housing, Inventions, Science & Technology News, Tiny House

An Austin startup can 3D-print tiny homes in 24 hours for a fraction of the cost of traditional homebuilding — here’s how Icon could revolutionize affordable housing

October 24, 2019

Icon will 3D-print six more tiny homes at a property in Austin housing the city’s homeless population. Katie Canales/Business Insider

Icon is an Austin startup that designs 3D-printing technology capable of building tiny homes in about a day for a fraction of the cost of traditional construction methods.

Icon cofounder Evan Loomis told Business Insider that pinpointing an exact cost estimate is tricky, but the company successfully printed a 350-square-foot proof-of-concept home for $10,000 in 24 hours in 2018.

The company isn’t the first to design 3D printing technology for home building, but its unique customization and on-site construction could be revolutionary feats amid a growing demand in the US for affordable housing.

Icon’s latest 3D printer, the Vulcan ll, is available for purchase and is already being put to use.

Continue reading… “An Austin startup can 3D-print tiny homes in 24 hours for a fraction of the cost of traditional homebuilding — here’s how Icon could revolutionize affordable housing”

3D Printer, Breakthrough Thinking, Home Technology, Housing, Science & Technology News

Watch a 3D printed neighborhood spring up from nothing

May 14, 2019

We’ve already seen a 3D printer construct a house. Now we can watch one build a whole neighborhood.

On Thursday, housing nonprofit New Story shared a video that shows how it plans to build what it calls the “world’s first 3D-printed community” — a futuristic application of 3D-printing technology that could bring affordable housing to the places that need it most.

Continue reading… “Watch a 3D printed neighborhood spring up from nothing”

3D Printer, Housing, Inventions, new technology, Science & Technology News

ICON unveils a new large scale 3D printer to build affordable homes

March 20, 2019

Mayor Steve Adler with ICON Cofounder Evan Loomis at ICON’s headquarters for an event to unveil its newest large-scale 3D printer, Vulcan II which can be used to create affordable homes

Austin-based ICON on Monday unveiled its new “Vulcan II” 3D printer that can print up to a 2,000 square foot house quickly at half the cost.

“It’s four times as big, it’s twice as fast, and it’s going to start shipping to customers next month,” said Jason Ballard, CEO and Co-founder of ICON. “This is not science fiction, it’s science fact. The world you all have been waiting for is about to arrive.”

ICON has also created proprietary concrete/mortar material which it calls “Lavacrete” that has passed every structural test and is safe for people and resilient to the varieties of conditions it may encounter, according to the company.

Continue reading… “ICON unveils a new large scale 3D printer to build affordable homes”