Architects and civil engineers depend upon each other to make sense of blue prints, and bring theoretical structures to life. More recently, however, they’ve found themselves growing increasingly fond of 3D printed prototypes and scaled models. 

Since 3D models offer a clearer insight into the physical constraints of a design, architects have preferred them over their imagination and 2D visualization to draw out realistic yet complex structures.

Here are some ways 3D printers have aided the world of construction and architecture.

1. Accuracy

Modeling used to be a costly process, rife with mistakes, do-overs, and improvements. However, 3D printing has made it much more accurate, not to mention cost-effective. 

With a 3D printing software, you can test ideas from every possible angle, and test if they make sense from a structural point-of-view, something you can’t do with computer simulations.

2. Cost Efficiency

3D printed walls may not be the present, but they’re very much the future of construction. These hollow walls require less raw material and not as much labor to build because 3D printers would do all of that instead.

Moreover, contractors may also help their clients save money on transportation of building materials, and renting storage for their safekeeping.

3. Variety

With 3D printers, architects don’t have to limit their designs to available colors and materials. In fact, they won’t even have to paint or search all over the place for the perfect material to go with their model. 

Architects can instead pick a number of 3D filaments to show what they want and let PVA materials do justice to their vision.

4. Fewer Occupational Hazards

When construction workers work with heavy raw material, their odds of suffering an accident on site are exponentially increased. 

3D print technology makes construction sites safe by cancelling concrete. It also makes their job easier, never mind their supervisors’, who are always on the losing end with having to fill stacks of paperwork and paying their medical bills.

5. Less Time Spent

Creating a 3D model manually can take a lot of time, which is why it’s such a relief to finally have technology to speed up the painfully detailed task. Now, architects can leave the model rendering part to the printer, and focus on other areas.

On the construction side, 3D printing remains the upcoming rather than the ongoing. It can drastically cut down the construction period because no hands will be building individual structures; they would just be laying down printed parts.

6. More Options Available

With 3D printing technology, the gap between your imagination and physical constraints is all but bridged. You can convert any drawing or digital sketched, no matter how complicated, into 3D models. This helps you land on an interior plan in the initial modeling stages instead of having to circle back after crossing into the final ones. 

7. Exploring Natural Elements

Natural elements will always interact with a building. Let’s take an extreme example: Ocean Tower.

A tower, built smack dab in the middle of the ocean—even near the shore—would disturb many habitats. Imagine returning to your house only to find that it’s been replaced by a giant column to which you have no access. Moreover, lights coming from the tower would either startle sea animals into departing a possibly exclusive ecosystem, or fascinate them to the point of starvation. 

Would an architect consider these consequences when coming up with the design? They might, as long as they’re aware of it with a 3D rendering of the tower. A highly detailed model would enable them to consider how their building would affect and be affected by the surroundings. Therefore, they can make more informed decisions early on instead of regretting it later.

8. Finding Hybrid Solutions 

Mixing things up a bit once in a while doesn’t hurt. Quite the opposite, it takes an architect’s work to new heights. Even though 3D printing’s great on its own, you could also use them on traditional models to make them better.

For instance, you may be an architect that prefers the personal touch offered by conventional modeling. However, even you have to admit it can sometimes get quite constraining. This is where 3D printing comes in; it can help you create the more technical features of a structure. In other words, you would be able to embellish and upgrade your model, and be satisfied in the knowledge that you tried your best.

Outsource 3D Printing Services in Grass Valley

You could give 3D printing a shot by entrusting Connekt. LLC with a design aspect or two. Their mechanical design engineers will know what to do to make every single detail tangible. 

Their team also provides engineering design services like Finite Element Analysis, rapid prototyping, plastic injection molding to several clients across different industries. 

If there’s anyone who can get you from prototype to end-product, it’s the good people at Connekt. LLC.