3dspaceterraform

Custom design, custom nozzle… tricky tricky. In the end I had to drop down a nozzle size and try a different slice of the design. A bug in the code somewhere to find… or maybe just time to switch to grasshopper completely. But progress is still valuable, even if it wasn’t perfect. We are content.

The first print went respectably well. I was overeager and oversized the model, but the model is one that looks good anywhere you stop. 10mm nozzle, red clay, sliced in S3D. The most challenging part is loading the big cylinders. Until I size up to continuous feed batch printing with cylinders will be the name of the game, so I will need to consider efficient loading.

It is VERY satisfying printing on a larger scale. With this done and more or less as expected I'm ready to jump into the juicy stuff.

Once you've experienced an earthen house, it's hard not to want to be in one all the time. They're incredible, but a massive amount of work and so inaccessible for many. It's time to bring our long history in sophisticated earth construction to 3d printing. We can learn to print with the ground beneath our feet. Here is a feasability sample, a print I made using the soil from this exact spot.

As of today I have reached the end of the Phase 1 feasibility trials. What you see here is wild clay, soil I dug from my yard and prepared for 3d printing.

I've now printed store clay, h**p clay, h**pcrete, h**p-concrete (mortar), geopolymer, and wild clay. And I did it with a desktop ceramic printer, my custom designs tweaked to the printer and materials, and an 8 mm nozzle.

It has been an excellent year.

Just wait till I have a bigger printer. I'll combine it with these materials, my engineering experience in natural building, and my experience 3d printing natural materials.

I'll pull up to your yard and whip out a custom tiny home, raised garden beds, a greenhouse, a chicken coop, a dog house, and a pizza oven. And I'll make them fireproof and flood proof while I'm at it. Then we'll add the food forest. The homestead starter pack.

You helped me get the desktop printer. YOU helped make this possible. Share this success with me. We have done good. Thank you!

**pcreteprinting