Mobile 3D Clay Printer: Whole Houses from Local Mud & Fiber

3d printing dirt water

Easy to disassemble and transport on demand, this 3D-printing solution uses natural materials to build completely stable homes from readily available resources.

3d printed architecture mud

Designed by WASP (World’s Advanced Saving Project) and deployed recently at a maker fair in Rome, the Delta device itself is lightweight and can be loaded onto a truck, moved then rebuilt in a matter of hours.

3d printed architectural home

Structurally, the system employs curved walls, arches and domes to create solid buildings that can withstand the test of time. For its source material: dirt, clay and water are fed into the machine, leaving the results to dry naturally in the sun. Other substances like wool can be added to help bind the solution. Architecturally, the designs draw on regional vernaculars.

3d printer delta machine

Part of WASP’s larger goal here is to raise awareness of non-plastic building materials that can be used in 3D printers, all with the same degree of precision found when using plastics. This process has started with demo models and is leveling up to full-scale structures.

3d house printing technology

As for future endeavors: “the company is in the process of exploring 3D printing implantable ceramics, such as hydroxylapatite, bioglass and aluminium oxide, to create bone implants with the same porous structure as natural bone.”