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3D printing's new challenge: Solving the US housing shortage Terence Chea View Comments A new generation of startups wants to disrupt the way houses are built by automating production with industrial 3D printers. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, uses machines to deposit thin layers of plastic, metal, concrete and other materials atop one another, eventually producing three-dimensional objects from the bottom up. In recent years, 3D printers have mostly been used to create small quantities of specialized items such as car parts or prosthetic limbs, allowing consumers or busin...

A new generation of startups wants to disrupt the way houses are built by automating production with industrial 3D printers.

3D printing’s new challenge: Solving the US housing shortage A 3D-printed housing module is delivered in Livermore, California. Most of the modules built by Mighty Buildings are assembled in the factory, transported by truck to owners’ properties, then put into place using a crane. (Courtesy of Mighty Buildings via AP) By TERENCE CHEA Associated Press A new generation of startups wants to disrupt the way houses are built by automating production with industrial 3D printers. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, uses machines to deposit thin layers of plastic, metal, concrete ...

Proponents note that printing houses rather than nailing them together could save huge quantities of scrap wood, metal and other discarded construction materials that are dumped into landfills every year. Backers say 3D printing reduces the need for human labor at a time when home builders are struggling to find enough skilled workers to meeting housing demand. Many construction workers left the trades after the housing-fueled financial crisis more than a decade ago, and fewer young people are entering the field. Jason Ballard, CEO and co-founder of a 3D printing construction startup called I...

Terence Chea A new generation of startups wants to disrupt the way houses are built by automating production with industrial 3D printers. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, uses machines to deposit thin layers of plastic, metal, concrete and other materials atop one another, eventually producing three-dimensional objects from the bottom up. In recent years, 3D printers have mostly been used to create small quantities of specialized items such as car parts or prosthetic limbs, allowing consumers or businesses to produce just what they need using the machines at home or work. No...