In early 2021, SQ4D Inc. (Long Island), a 3D printing company from the United States, listed for sale in Riverhead, New York, the first 3D house in America built at the Suffolk Cement Products site. The pilot used Type III Portland cement produced at Buzzi Unicem's plant in Stockertown, Pennsylvania, which supplies ready-mix concrete, precast structures and concrete blocks throughout eastern Long Island, as the primary building material.
The 3D printing technology used at SQ4D reduces overall construction costs by 70 % and significantly speeds up the construction process itself. It took a total of 48 hours to print in an 8-day period. Only two employees were involved, monitoring the progress of the job. SQ4D used a volumetric concrete batching plant, where Type III Buzzi Unicem cement was mixed with sand and water. The mixture was then fed into an autonomous robotic construction system (ARCS), which printed the slab, foundation, exterior and interior walls.
SQ4D Inc. notes that it was difficult to continuously feed material in quantities that provided enough strength to place the next layer of concrete on top of the previous one, while maintaining enough plasticity of the material to bond the layers together without creating a void or a cold joint. This was intended to be similar to the operation of sliding formwork in the construction of large structures like cement storage silos.
Due to the success of this project, marking a significant step forward, there are plans to build another 3D house in Riverhead. This will be the first house built using 3D-printed technology with a residential permit. The mass use of 3D printing is expected to result in significantly cheaper construction by reducing the need for labor and time for common construction processes (e.g., form removal). This project will be based on Buzzi Unicem's collaboration with Lehigh University in the field of 3D printing. Sulfoaluminate cement will be used.
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