ICON unveils its new robotic home 3D printer, Vulcan II
3D concrete printer manufacturer ICON has just unveiled an improved version of its previous machine, the Vulcan II. The Vulcan II will be ICON’s first commercially available construction printer, designed to build houses even faster, at a very attractive price. According to the manufacturer, it should be able to build up to 185 square metres homes in record time. In fact, the company announced last year that it had built its house in less than 24 hours. So, should we rely on this new manufacturing method? ICON is expected to deliver its first machines next month and has already opened orders for 2020.
It is often necessary to be wary when talking about houses printed in 3D: most projects do not succeed or only part of the construction has been carried out using 3D technologies. So when we heard about the Vulcan II, we were intrigued because we remembered the $9 million ICON fundraiser or the house presented by the manufacturer last March. It seems that the company has succeeded in developing a reliable technology that can print some of these new houses in 3D, reducing their cost and accelerating their launch on the market.
First 3D printed house from ICON in 2018
Vulcan II would have been designed specifically for single-storey buildings. The construction printer has an area of 185 square metres and an adjustable width to adapt to different types of soil. According to ICON, no assembly is required and only 4 to 6 people are needed to operate it, thanks in particular to improvements in automation, mechatronics and software.
On the technical specifications side, the 3D printer will be 11.5’ (3.5 meters) high and should be able to create walls of 8.5’ (2.6 meters). In terms of width, the parts should extend up to 28’ (8.5 meters) with apparently infinite printing length. According to ICON, the machine also has a fast deposition rate of between 5 to 7″/ second (13 and 18 centimetres per second). In terms of construction materials, the 3D printer should be exclusively compatible with ICON’s Lavacrete technology, a material made from Portland cement-based mix (Lavacrete II) that offers a compressive strength of 6000 psi (pound-force per square inch) during printing, as well as elasticity and high thermal mass.
The Vulcan II printer
Finally, the Vulcan II is fully controllable via a tablet and can be managed remotely. LED lighting allows printing to continue during the night or in low light conditions. The 3D printer should also be delivered with ICON Studio, a CAD and print planning platform as well as a sensor suite for fast, reliable and accurate printing.
No prices have been provided by ICON, we just know that the first deliveries should be made next month. The company is already taking orders for 2020. You can find more information on the official website HERE.
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How can I buy this home?
Dear SIRS or Ma’aM, of ICON 3D printing
We are trying so hard to contact you, but seem to not be doing so good or missing something. We deeply deeply wish to know the price of the Vulcan II 3D Printer and can we use it in the Philippines to build housing for the needy? Philippines is hot muggy and lots and lots of typhoons. Presently we are in northern Cebu, Phillipinnes
Contact Dr. Ben Carson HUD Their Section 8 voucher program is a waist of money when they could use your printer to build homes for Americas Poor
What they pay out for 1 person for 2 years could pay for one of your homes Give the home to that poor person and they would be off Section 8 for the rest of their lives.
Section 8 does nothing to end poverty It does keep them in poverty and lines the Pockets of the Land Lords.
There is no excuse for them not Buying and using your Machines to start building afordable housing for the poor in the USA They should just give away the houses and save Billions if not Trillions in Section 8 go nowhere Rent Money. This will end homelessness.
We`re developing a new project which is not referred to our main focus of activity. We would like to discuss and get your consultation regarding this. Could we arrange a 15 minutes call to discuss further?