Immediate Construction of Military Barracks

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3D printing technology can replace more time-consuming traditional forms of construction, such as creating infrastructure to help communities respond to natural disasters, along with military constructions in forward expeditionary areas.

The Texas Military Department, in collaboration with the construction technology company ICON, has constructed a 3,800-square-foot barracks on a Texas military base, claiming it is the largest 3D-printed structure in North America.

The large-scale Vulcan construction system is 15.5 feet long, 46.5 feet wide, and can print between 5 and 10 inches of concrete per second. The Vulcan can produce resilient, single-story homes faster than conventional methods and with less waste and more design freedom.

The tablet-based operating system controls every aspect of print operations. The operating system translates floor plans into print jobs and then directs the system, using real-time data down to the millisecond, to produce the printed structures.

The barracks is currently used by the National Guard, and can accommodate up to 72 people.

The project is a result of the US government Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Strategic Funding Increase, also known as STRATFI, according to constructiondive.com.