The biggest issue with the 3-D printed construction market right now is regulation. Enormous unions that are stuck in old ways have had influence over construction standards and regulations in America over the past two decades. There has yet to be a legally permitted residence 3-D printed in America. However there are other countries with fewer regulatory hurdles that have already 3-D printed structures completed with people living in them currently. Most notably a project done by Icon Build and New Story in Ecuador. These strict regulations could take decades to change, that is why the cost of the specialized concrete needs to go down so that the technology can be a significant enough improvement to convince legal officials to permit 3-D printed construction.
If all goes well it could be a matter of a few years until it is evident these structures are strong and safe enough to allow humans to live in them.The best markets for 3-D printing construction are southern areas where the temperature rarely goes below freezing. If the temperature rarely goes below freezing then it is not necessary to pour extremely deep concrete or drill down to the bedrock in order to have a structurally secure building. If the leaders of your municipalities in states like Texas or Florida want to champion this technology there is certainly that opportunity. It is likely that the first region to adapt this technology wilI have an economic boom with the quantity of high-quality unique affordable housing that this technology has to offer.
In some countries in Europe, plans are already underway to build complete 3-D printed villages. These towns are a very exciting opportunity for this technology to demonstrate its practicality.The people who need this technology most are people in impoverished countries. Unfortunately those countries are often the last to receive the benefits of new innovations. It is challenging to do even nonprofit projects in these regions because often times the government officials or imposters are so corrupt that they expect to be paid to allow you to do charity work uplifting their communities. If not the government, there are often rogue rebel groups that will cause issues and delay if not stop completely your progress and mission. Without a seasoned overseas non-profit veteran on the team it is a dangerous and treacherous and environment to pursue. In my opinion the best way to make this technology mainstream is for the current companies that have built printers to focus on printing things that don’t require complicated permits. Many products come to thought, you could build a fireplace, a bench, a fountain or other water feature, a planter wall, a retaining wall, highway barriers, a shed, an outdoor standalone garage, the list goes on and on.
If companies can produce these products to be attractive to consumers from both a quality and cost standpoint then it could be the optimal way to introduce the public to this technology of the future and get them comfortable with it so that when the time comes that these robots are building their new home they feel safe and excited to moving.As this technology improves new ideas constantly come along for applications that drastically improve the efficiency compared to traditional construction methods.