SQ4D uses an Autonomous Robotics Construction System, also known as an ARCS printer.
Courtesy of SQ4D
The company’s printer has built three concrete houses in New York state: one in Riverhead, another in Islandia and the third in Calverton.
Courtesy of SQ4D
SQ4D builds the house on site. It brings its printer, a pump, and a volumetric mixer to the site along with the raw materials for the concrete — sand, water and Portland cement, Henry told Insider.
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Then, the raw materials are mixed and the cement is pumped through hoses and pushed through a nozzle. The code for the design has been uploaded to the printer.
Courtesy of SQ4D
The printer then builds the foundation walls.
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Insulation is placed between the ground and the cement.
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Tubing for plumbing and electricity is placed along the foundation, and then a slab of concrete is placed on top.
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Here’s what the foundation looks like when it is finished.
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Next, a floor plan is painted on top. The red lines in this picture are where the walls will be built. The tube-like structures protruding out of the ground mark where plumbing and electrical hookups have been placed within the floor plan.
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The printer then builds the walls of the house on top of the foundation.
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Operators attend to the printer as it’s working.
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Once the walls are built and some wood framing is installed, this is what the house looks like.
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A close-up look at the cement wall.
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The walls are curved ever so slightly where the printer turned. These walls and wood door frames are in a hallway of the home. The insulation comes next.
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The printer can make some unique geometric shapes, too. For example this curved cement slab protruding from the wall will be a kitchen counter peninsula once the house is finished.
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The finished product can be painted any color the owner chooses.
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That goes for the homes’ interior too. Here is the Riverhead house, where the walls of the living area are painted sage green.
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While some walls retain their 3D printed texture, SQ4D stuccoes certain surfaces — like the ones behind these cabinets — to give them a smoother look.
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Here is an example of the contrast in texture. SQ4D installed wooden molding throughout the house after the printing was finished.
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This house is being used as a short-term rental. Henry says one of the first things that people do when they enter the house is run their hands along the wall to feel the texture.
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