Startup recycles plastic bottles into 3D printed homes
A California company is revolutionizing home construction by 3D printing houses using recycled plastic, addressing housing shortages and environmental concerns.
The next time you take a bag of plastic bottles to the recycler, you might be providing the building material for a new home — at least if the would-be refuse ends up on Azure Printed Homes' production floor.
That's because the California company uses some of the plentiful plastic waste we produce to "print" homes. And after years of development, co-founder Gene Eidleman told The Cool Down during an exclusive interview that Azure is poised for impressive growth.
What's more, the innovative production method could remedy housing problems in cities around the world, as well as address homelessness in war-torn countries and storm-ravaged locations.
"We need to get this problem under control," Eidleman said.
3D-printed homes aren't new. An entire community is being completed in Texas by Icon. Mighty Buildings, from California, claims to print most of a home in 24 hours.
Azure's process is different from most others because it prints complete housing modules in a factory instead of at the home's location. The abodes can then be shipped anywhere in the country, according to Eidleman. He has been working with his business partner, Ross Maguire, on the project since August 2019.
"The way we save time and money is by doing it in a factory," he said.
Part of the efficiency comes from a streamlined process. Customers choose and customize a design. The printer needs only one day to print the home. It is then prefabricated with all the fixings, including plumbing and electrical wiring, a four- to 15-day process. The home is then delivered by truck within a couple of days. The technique is touted to be 30% less expensive than traditional construction and 70% faster, all per the Azure website.
Eidleman said that one home's shell uses about 150,000 plastic bottles. The plastic comes from a supplier that uses recycled material. It is then mixed with fiberglass and other additives as part of the "ink," and it's treated for fire protection and with an ultraviolet light stabilizer, as well.
"Plastic makes great resin," Eidleman said. "Mixed with fiberglass, it's stronger than concrete and much lighter."