Is 3D printing completely transforming home designs? Have you ever built a home after selecting home designs from a book or received a drawing from an architect and then after completion discovered a list of things you would have designed differently?

What is 3D Printing

To understand this benefit, we need to know first what 3d printing actually is and what it can do. Charles Hull invented the stereolithography apparatus (SLA) in 1983. 3D printing is also called “Additive Manufacturing” (AM).

The first 3D printer made can be traced back to 1986.

3D printing is the process of constructing a three-dimensional object from a two-dimensional design. A standard printer uses information from a print file to produce a two-dimensional representation of the file’s content on a piece of paper.

Get an in depth understanding of 3D printing!

How does 3D printing work?

To transform ideas in three dimensional results, the 3D printer needs is a special file to print from. It is called a Computer Aided Design (CAD) file. Are you into building a country home or other dream home for the family? Ask an architect to create the home designs using a 3D modeling program to create a CAD file.

The CAD file can be fed to a 3d printer and, voilà, you are on your way to have a simple but realistic model of your new home, a remodeled interior of the house, a new stable for horses and so on. You get the idea.

3D printing is, however, not limited to creating models of a product. It can actually produce the product itself including full scale homes. However, properties like country homes are still at an early stage.

Current uses of 3D printing

To date, 3D printing is producing small models, toys, prototypes for manufacturing, car parts, and even human organs. 3D printing is actually printing both metal and plastic parts and fitting it into product from complex machines to shoes.

The processes and technologies of 3D printers are evolving quickly and many entrepreneurs are taking on the challenges to build large scale products – See 3D printers. Also, because of the layer by layer nature of 3D printing, recycled materials can be use for product assembly.

A visual solution for home design

Architectural blueprints of houses, used for building homes, can sometimes be difficult to visualize for home owners. The same challenges can exist for blueprints of modifications or the remodeling of existing homes; finding blueprints can be hard enough sometimes, but even this has solutions.

Just Imagine how your kitchen will really look after remodeling it? Or how about the addition to your new country home that the architect has designed for you? It’s not always so easy; at least for those that don’t build and design for a living.

But, don’t fret, the 3D printer has come to the rescue!

3D Printing benefits

Many home builders still rely on drawings because of its cost effectiveness and timeliness. Still, accurate modelling would be a great benefit to reflect and refine home designs and 3D printing may be the radical change to traditional architectural drawings that you’ve been waiting for!

A 3D printer could take information from a blueprint of a home and convert it to a three-dimensional object. The 3D printer could then print the design layer by layer until the object is complete.

Real estate architects and construction people now can see the final product in three-dimensions instead of looking at a blueprint or hand building models. It’s like taking a loaf of bread and slicing it.

The Future of Home Design

Three dimensional home models would be a great way to visualize your home before its construction to get more value and enjoyment with the end product. It’s just a matter of writing a file and using a 3D printer to see the 3 dimensional outcomes before construction.

In the near future 3D printing and home modelling will likely make a move towards full scale urban and country homes commonly, but in the present its greatest benefit for real estate could be in the creation of three dimensional home models!

How do you think three dimensional printing will impact housing in the years to come?

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