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At the University of Southern California, professor Behrokhn Khoshnevis has developed a 3D printer capable of printing a house in just 24 hours. The method used to create this is called ‘Contour Crafting’, it is a layered fabrication technology which has the capability to automate the construction of whole buildings.

Contour Crafting would allow any shape of house to be printed straight away. The houses would be designed on a computer using CAD software then the machine would ‘build’ it by printing the parts. When the printing is started, the machine slowly prints the cement in straight lines to build up layers to create the wall. This way structure and strength is given to the wall by the geometry used in the lines. The center of the wall is built up by zig-zagged lines that give the whole wall strength and stability.

We’re wondering how well this sort of machinery would cope with the elements during this process. If it needs a perfectly dry and still day, there won’t be many houses built here in the UK!

Scientists are also researching the use of Contour Crafting to build habitats on other planets. The unique design and techniques could allow for building structures on planets such as the Moon and Mars; this is compared to few other approaches that are possible. This building method could facilitate colonising of other planets, as towns and cities could be built much more quickly.

The machinery that prints this seems quite advanced but is actually quite simple. A computer program controls a giant robot with a delivery nozzle on a flexible arm, this is attached to a gantry-type crane which allows it to move freely. All these then make up the machine called the “Contour crafter”.