Texas-based ICON introduced Phoenix at SXSW, a 3D printer mounted on a robotic arm that can create fully enclosed, multi-story structures from a low-carbon mixture.
ICON introduced the dismountable crane-based 3D printer during a talk held as part of the annual SXSW festival in Austin.
Phoenix enables ICON to build multi-story houses with closed systems. It said it is currently building a prototype outside its Austin headquarters that will feature a dome-like, enclosed roof.
ICON has developed a machine for 3D printing multi-story buildings
At 70 feet tall, the crane-like system allows for a taller design than ICON’s current Vulcan printer, which features a gantry system that places the chassis closer to the ground. According to the company, structures up to 27 feet (8.2 meters) tall can be printed.
ICON’s proprietary cementitious admixture, Lavacrete, is distributed by the crane using a “highly integrated” system through a gyroscope-stabilized nozzle.
Like other 3D printing construction technologies, the mixture is applied layer by layer, slowly creating walls that are supported by steel but do not require the extensive formwork – usually made of wood – that characterizes many concrete structures.
NASA is funding ICON to develop lunar 3D printing construction technology
Due to the crane system, the machine can also erect multiple structures in a single area with only minor adjustments to the machine’s design, and only a few people are required on site to monitor the progress.
The advance follows an advance made by technology company Hannah last year on its multi-story 3D printed house, the first in the country.
ICON announces “lowest carbon residential building system.”
In addition to the Phoenix announcement, ICON also announced the development of a new material mix and the integration of AI into its systems.
The material, called CarbonX, is the “lowest-carbon housing system that can be deployed immediately at scale,” according to the company. An MIT study published concurrently with the talk used the material to claim the benefits of 3D printed embodied carbon construction.
“The White Paper’s LCA results show that the physical and operational impacts of 3D printed homes are lower than stick frame homes,” ICON said.
A developer repository with more than 60 themes was also announced, including three from BIG
CarbonX will not be used by ICON until after April 2024, and the company said it will make it available to other companies for use.
Other announcements included Codex, a ready-to-print collection of more than 60 designs, including three designs by Danish architecture firm BIG, with whom ICON collaborated on a 100-home 3D printed community in Texas.
According to ICON, the repository will continue to grow and be available to developers to select home designs.
ICON and Lake Flato are building the 3D printed House Zero in Austin
The company also announced that it is launching an AI program so that “anyone” can design 3D printable house plans using the ICON Vitruvius platform.
In addition to the 100 Homes community, ICON is also partnering with BIG and hotelier Liz Lambert for El Cosmico Resort and Marfa homes.
Images are courtesy of ICON.
