3D printing could soon be the new norm in the construction of local homes, saving builders time and money while offering higher quality, according to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Black Buffalo 3D, Michael Woods.
“This is a real credible technology now that is overtaking many of the traditional ways of doing construction,” Woods told Sunday Stabroek in an interview at International Building Expo on Friday.
The New York-based Black Buffalo 3D is one of the prime exhibitors at the ongoing International Building Expo at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence. Over the course of the three-day event, it will utilise its commercial-grade 3D printer to build a 600-square ft home–the first 3D printed house to be created here.
Woods said the Black Buffalo 3D printer is designed to provide contractors with the technology and materials to save time and money.
“We can build a 1,000 square-ft home, 9-ft-high walls in roughly 20 to 24 hours depending on how many inside and outside walls you have,” he explained.
Black Buffalo 3D is committed to improving construction sustainability through waste reduction and lowering environmental impact and the overall greenhouse gas emission from concrete.
Therefore, instead of stones, Woods explained, silicon sand is being used. “We are using very fine granular sand…not stones……So we are decreasing the carbon footprint of the concrete…And concrete is 8% of all global greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
In addition to the time and costs saved with 3D printing, Woods said a printed house is three times stronger than those built traditionally. “The quality of this is three times as strong as CMU (concrete masonry unit) blocks. CMU blocks are usually between 2800 and 3500 pounds per square inch. We cure over 10,100 pounds per square inch,” he explained.
Additionally, the printer has more architectural ability. “You can do circles and you can also do hard corners. When you have block, all you can do is a hard corner. So you have so much more architectural ability to be able to customize your home and make the home yours,” Woods said.
Windows and doors are not printed and therefore the process would still require a human workforce.
As a result, Woods told Stabroek News, over the past two weeks approximately 10 to 15 Guyanese were trained by Black Buffalo 3D.
All materials for the printer are sourced here, Woods also assured.
Aside from the high demand in the housing sector, Woods said Black Buffalo 3D also eyes printing highways, culverts, drains and seawalls in the future.
According to Woods, the goal is to have a 3D printer at every construction site across the country. “It’s not if, it’s when that happens. This is so much faster, so much stronger, so much less expensive and so much more flexible and the ability to make design for the house,” he said.
‘Not a garbage house’
Among the many attractions at the International Building Expo is a 600-square ft house built by local company South Atlantic and its Colombian partner Cana Dulce. The house, which features two bedrooms, a kitchen and bathroom area, looks much like any normal house, except that it is entirely made out of recycled plastic, except for the roof and doors.
The structure, which captured the eyes of many visitors from day one, has a brick like finish that can be customised to suit one’s desire at little or no cost. It is also fire proof.
“It’s modern technology. What we do, for example, the bottle caps, we take it, we wash it, we grind it down, we melt it and we add some additives into it that will be fireproof so it wouldn’t catch on fire. It might melt a little bit but it wouldn’t burn. Its plastic and its heat, even steel bends and we put it into moulds and the moulds are what produces the stone, the brick effect,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of South Atlantic Alfonso De Armas told Stabroek News during a recent interview.
He said a 600 square-ft house can be built in less than two weeks at the cost of $5.7 million.
De Armas said the only difference in the process is that plastic is being used as the building material instead of sand. “It’s sturdy, it doesn’t feels like plastic. It actually looks like a cement block. It’s stronger than a cement block. It’s definitely not a garbage house. It’s put through an industrial process just as how cement is put through an industrial process,” he said.
“It doesn’t smell, it doesn’t release any toxic fumes… It is made from materials we use every day,” De Armas noted.
Each structure has an estimated life expectancy of over 100 years. “It’s really a lot stronger but at the same time it’s a lot lighter,” De Armas told Stabroek News.
It is fire proof and does not attracts termites. “So you don’t have to worry about wood ants,” he added.
Expansion and change of design, De Armas said can be done at any time at little or no cost. “Repairs—you probably don’t have to worry about repairs but if you do it’s just a matter of swapping out a block and putting another in,” he said while adding “if you want to expand or change your design you can do that. You can just add on another part to the house at little to no cost”.
Houses built by South Atlantic can also be painted. “You can really do any finish that you want,” the CEO said.
Currently, South Atlantic will be importing plastic for its project. However, De Armas said plans are in the pipeline to establish its own facility here.
Steel alternative
Aiming to make major inroads in the infrastructure sector here, Canadian company Rebar Enterprises Incorporated has partnered with local company Mings Products and Services to market glass fiber-reinforced bars that they say is stronger, lighter in weight and far cheaper than steel.
Rebar is a fiberglass is used for mostly infrastructural projects since it doesn’t corrode and is non-magnetic. It is used to reinforce and strengthen concrete under tension.
President of Rebar Enterprises Emin Buzimkic told Sunday Stabroek at the expo that the product is quarter the weight of steel and is two times stronger.
It can be used to construct roads, bridges, culverts, seawalls and even hospitals.
“The best qualified projects would be highways, culverts, seawalls. Basically, infrastructure would be the main target,” Buzimkic said.
The material, he said, is also cost effective and non-conductive. “Instead of building five kilometers seawalls, we can build, for the same price, 20 kilometers of seawall,” Buzimkic said.
Structures built using the fibre glass bars can last up to 135 years.
Asked why he chose Guyana, Buzimkic said that he has Guyanese neighbour who has been determined for years to bring him here to explore business possibilities.
“…We would be definitely happy to provide Guyanese people with lasting infrastructure…Instead of building something you are repairing every few years,” Buzimkic said.
“I firmly believe that this product has a future,” he added.
Unlike steel, the material does not rust.
Buzimkic said he is positive the fiberglass bar will offer great benefit to building owners and even builders with the increase in infrastructural work here.
It is also expected to benefit persons who transport steel into the interior locations, particularly by air.
