If 3D printers have had a notable limitation, it’s been the small size of their output. We’ve talked about how they can make everything from action figures and car parts to human bones and scale models. But 3D printing is getting bigger, both physically and commercially, as enterprising engineers aim to create the first market-ready prototype of a printer that can produce complete buildings on-site. And according to a story in Blueprint Magazine, the leader in the clubhouse is Italian inventor Enrico Dini and his d-shape printer.
It’s currently housed in a shed near Pisa, Italy, and it features an armature that prints out the building materials layer by layer using CAD software. According to Dini, the main advantages of his invention are that it’s significantly faster, cheaper, and more eco-friendly than traditional building methods. In addition, it simplifies the process of building “Gaudiesque, curvy structures,” and you can either print on-site or print the parts remotely and ship them, which minimizes the need for on-site workers.
The d-shape isn’t just a fanciful design. In fact, it will be printing a proof of principle test structure in the form of an egg-shaped pavilion named Radiolaria in Pontedera, Italy sometime this spring. In addition, Dini is working with the European Space Agency to research printing buildings on the moon. He also hopes to one day use his 3D printer to finish the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona.
By all accounts, the d-shape 3D printer is a labor of love for Enrico Dini. He’s spent seven years on the project, and it’s cost him a marriage and nearly all his finances. But the wait has apparently been worth it as the construction of the Radiolaria pavilion fast approaches. And in the bigger picture, thanks to Dini and 3D printing technology, we could be getting an up-close look at the future of architecture within the next year.
(Story via TomsGuide.com; Photo via D-Shape Presentation; Learn more at D-Shape.com)
