The largest 3D-printed neighborhood ever built has popped up in Texas, but the houses come with a shocking price tag. Each of the homes in the Wolf Ranch community of Georgetown in Austin costs between $450,000 and $600,000. For some, the ingenuity of the Wolf Ranch neighborhood warrants the cost. The concrete walls are designed to be resistant to water, mold, termites and extreme weather, keeping the interior temperature cool even when the air conditioner isn't on full blast. The houses are printed using the 45-foot-wide, 4.75-ton Vulcan machine. After concrete powder, water, sand and other additives are mixed together and pumped into the printer, a nozzle squeezes out the concrete mixture like toothpaste onto a brush, building up layer by layer along a pre-programmed path that creates corduroy-effect walls. Compared to traditional construction, 3D printing homes is faster, less expensive, requires fewer workers, and minimizes construction material waste. Each home takes about 3 weeks to finish printing, with the foundation and metal roofs installed traditionally.
