Why this brick robot could be BETTER than 3D printed concrete
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 พ.ค. 2024
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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:52 Hadrian X
5:05 Gantry vs Robot arm
6:01 Building Science
7:13 Appearance
7:52 Sponsor
8:45 Cost
10:23 Conclusion
3D printing has been one of the most revolutionary technologies of the past few decades, and it’s starting to make its mark on the construction industry as well. With the ability to print complex shapes and structures in a matter of hours, 3D printing has the potential to transform the way we build our homes, offices, and even entire cities.
Now, I have some reservations about the use of 3D concrete printing in construction which we discussed in a previous video. But I still believe in the value and potential of automation in the construction industry. What if we are looking at the wrong type of 3d printers? Is there a technology or machine that is superior to these liquid concrete printers, but doesn’t get as much media attention?
Hadrian X is a blocklaying machine invented by Fast Brick Robotics in Australia. It builds structural walls, brick by brick, in outdoor, uncontrolled environments. It produces far less waste than traditional construction methods, while improving site safety. The robot can lay 200 bricks an hour, approximately 10 times faster than humans. FBR’s technology turns digital Revit models into CMU block models to calculate the exact number and shape of bricks needed. They use precise, optimized and rectified blocks made of lightweight aggregate concrete. Their blocks are 12 times larger than standard house bricks which drastically increases the speed of construction.
These bricks are transported to the job site on the back of a truck. They are fed through a huge telescopic robotic arm that can extend 25 meters or 82 feet. A special construction adhesive that is twice as strong as mortar, is applied to the ends of the brick. With the aid of a laser tracking head, the concrete blocks are placed at a precise spot on the wall. The robot head is dynamically stabilized so it corrects for any interference or vibration in the boom. The Hadrian X system can build the structural concrete walls of a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house in just 29 laying hours.
There are a couple of reasons why I think the Hadrian system could be superior to the 3D printed liquid concrete system we see so often.
GANTRY VS ROBOT ARM
The first is the advantage of a robot arm over a gantry system. A gantry is the frame that supports a printer head as it moves along the x, y and z axes. This frame takes time to set up, it requires solid concrete footings, it needs to be perfectly level and it uses up space on the job site. The Hadrian robot arm arrives at the job site on the back of a truck. It doesn’t require additional concrete footings or time consuming calibration and it takes up less space on the site.
BUILDING SCIENCE
I think we’re expecting too much from a single layer. These printed walls are meant to provide structural support, insulation, and act as air, water and vapor protection. The Hadrian robotic arm system only prints the hidden, inner structural core. Insulation is a separate layer as are the air and water protection layers.
APPEARANCE
I stayed at ICON’s 3D printed house in Austin a while back. While it was impressive, there were certain quirks that can be difficult to get used to. Tiny microfractures in the concrete wall, wobbly and uneven print lines, rough joints at windows and doors and even dust collection on the layers. On the flip side, houses built with the Hadrian X look like traditional houses, for better or for worse. his makes the technology adaptable to different cultures and geographic locations.
COST
Both technologies are more expensive than traditional construction because they are new, still working out the kinks and trying to scale up. Both printers require precise floor slabs with only 3mm to 5mm of variation which are a little more expensive. The custom bricks that the Hadrian robot uses are also 10% more expensive than traditional CMU blocks. In my opinion, the most important difference between the 2 technologies is the mindset of the people behind them.
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#3dprinting #modular #robotics #construction #architecture #prefab #building #robots - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Here in the Netherlands, most homes have a red clay brick facade.
Not quite the same as construction building from aerated concrete blocks -- but in the last 5 years, most construction companies have already (partly) "outsourced" the brick laying for facades to robots. The robot will apply mortar and place bricks, a human just cleans up the joints and does specialty parts around windows and doors. Most bricklayers are also quite happy about this change as they can focus on more artisanal detail work, get less health issues, and have to worry less about early retirement due to injury.
Thanks for sharing info on the local building trends in the Netherlands. I made a video on those types of brick+mortar robots a while back. Glad to see it's catching on.
I have never seen something like that (to be fair, I also don‘t actively look out for it) but that sounds like a way better approach in general.
@@PhilfreezeCH Dutch Home construction is typically carried out in projects by medium to large sized corps that devellop entire subsections of a new planned section.
Subsections are typically a square of houses with an inner core consisting of any combination of gardens at the back of the house with an interior parking space allocated or the gardens back to back with a small path to get your bike out. The last bit is vital ofcourse ;).
One face of the square typically consists of luxury townhouses side by side, semi detached dual townhouses or detached homes. Thats the upscale row with gardens that are typically larger. These Town houses usually are 3 full stories and wider ( usually ~6.1m interior width and 9-10m long ). Semi detached or detached typically 2 stories + pitched roof. Typically 8 town houses, 6 semi-detached or 4 detached houses per phase of the project with the exact type rotated per phase of the entire overall project.
The 2 longer sides of the square are usually mid sized or plus sized townhouses ( typically 2 stories plus a pitched roof usually about 5.7m interior width and about 9m standard ground level depth.) Usually ab
The lower cost face is generally located facing the 50 km/h access road and typically consists of 4.9-5.1m interior width houses, depth is typically 8-9meters.
This is still an somewhat upscale block with overall block income level sliding downwards once you get nearer to the main traffic corridors (ie. smaller and cheaper homes )
You'll usually find atleast one appartment complex as part of any new residential plan with a mix of sizes for different income brackets.
Dutch construction is typically either thick aerated concrete blocks, sandlime bricks or prefab concrete panels ( with doors and windows pre fitted ) for the interior facing of the outside walls with voids for sound decoupling between homes. Exterior facings are typically done in bricks but ground level brick + wood or engineered panels is also routinely done. Pitched roofs usually arrive prefab as a wood and insulation plus vapor barrier fold out combo that's hoisted on your home.
Net zero homes are mandatory for new construction. Expect heatpumps with radiant floor heating, solarpanels ( roughly 5 kWpeak) and heat recovery forced air ventilation.
Expect a package of option to choose from ( ground floor extensions, dormers, pitched roof windows, interior wall floor plan alterations, changes to wall outlets etc etc).
Typically one of the larger kitchen vendors is involved which offer some volume costs benefits with a few pre-planned kitchen designs (or choose your own) and better integration with other contractors.
Ditto the same for your bathroom.
Scaffolding is slowly disappearing due to labor costs and is being replaced by section wide hydraulic gantries as much as possible.
@@dwwolf4636, I have heard about construction code and standards that builders must follow in the Netherlands. Are there really such things?
@@dwwolf4636 "Net zero homes are mandatory for new construction" So glad to hear it! Net zero and especially passive house standards have proven lower heating and cooling cost over time.
Gotta say, after working in construction and adjacent fields for many years now, Belinda does such a great job of realistically talking about new tech. She always points out the parts that most everyone else ignores on how to bring this stuff into reality. So many of the 3D printers just flat out ignored electrical and plumbing needs that it was laughable (and plenty of the other issues she brings up). Always enjoy your vids!!!!
She's quite good at what she does here on this channel
Yeah I have debated a lot of people supportive of 3d printing mortar but basically none of them have worked in the industry.. they don't know how much the first story walls cost in the construction budget or how this impacts running wire.. the problems list is just really long and the companies selling it don't realistic address this.. tell me how this will ever be better than a CMU crew? Cost, time, functionality? I don't see how it will ever outperform a traditional masonry crew specially with just a single floor.
Thank you so much for your support!! I am so grateful for the community I've found on YT.
Except the part where 200 block an hour is 10x faster than a human.
Totally agreed
Please don't stress too much about getting some time for yourself, we all need that regularly. Love your videos, thank you.
how the heck do you clean those rough 3d printed concrete walls!! those look like dust traps
Pressure washer !
@@kjpw147 ...lol, inside?
Yeah i never understand the desire some people have for rough surfaces inside the house that will be really difficult to clean properly
Need a Roomba for the walls!
That's just the tip of the iceberg in problems the current 3d printed wall introduce into building science..
Hi Belinda, good to see you back! We’re always happy to see the progress of automation in construction robotics. If we may comment on the concerns on the building science behind 3D construction printing (6:01): Based on a very significant amount of large-scale testing not just by us (in cooperation with the Technical University in Munich) but the whole concrete printing industry there is no cold joint between subsequent layers but they form a monolithic structure. Regarding the point on thermal bridging: The COBOD BOD2 construction printer can stop and start the print process at any time. Hence, we do not have the outer facade layer connected to the inner load bearing elements with a printed concrete layer. Instead, we use so called wall binders. With this process, we do not have any thermal bridging at all and can achieve the highest energy efficiency ratings.
Thanks for clarifying those issue, Peri! Hope to visit your construction site in Houston soon.
@@BelindaCarr Of course, you're welcome on our site anytime. A heads up via E-mail would be appreciated though so we can make some room for you in our schedule. See you soon!
@@repliesgpt Look op PERI mate, it's one of the world leaders in construction equipment. And they indeed also do 3D printing. The thermal bridging being non-existant I can agree with, but Belinda makes a valid point about the quality of joints and the dust buildup. When thinking about global warming, concrete is the worse choice for external walls in cities that are already several degrees hotter.
We have build our house 9 years ago in germany. The bricks were not layed, but every sand-lime brick had his own place, like a puzzle. The brickt were heavy (1m x 1m x 18 cm). On the construction site was a crane, so the workers only had to position the bricks, but not lift them. Glued together with thin-bed mortar. Every story was build in about 3 days by 3 men. The ceiling is a filigree ceiling (hope it is the right word. You lay thin beton plates with reinforcements on the walls, put in reinforcement steel between the plates, can put in the electric hosing and pour beton on it. Till it is really dry and strong, there are lots of steel columns in the house).
Yes, this robot is kind of a gimmick really, as there is the possibility of pre-facricated homes for many years already.
Which is basically what this robot does, with the nice fanfare.
Surely the price is forbiditive for now, for the whole system, still a great future proffing for when few labourers are available.
Good to see you back Belinda! This video brought to mind the thought that construction really is still to be a composition of means & methods. Some approaches, like 3D printing are trying to be a one trade solution… but, the reality in construction is that some materials are meant to be used in compression, and are not the best choice for areas in tension… or infill. In my mind, the perfect combo would be to use this block robot for long parallel load bearing walls, and SIPS or T-Stud walls for the perpendicular short walls - and walls with a lot of punched openings. ByFusion’s ByBlock or JustBioFiber’s hemp block set with this robotic arm?
I'm really excited to see we're finally getting some real development around construction automation, in particular with an approach like the Hadrian X where it's very similar to more traditional masonry construction. The construction adhesive approach does make me kind of apprehensive though, not due to the strength of the adhesive but because it seems like it's the one aspect that limits what you can do for horizontal reinforcement. How do you lay down your steel bond beam now that you can't just set it into the mortar joint? What if you want to have traditional brick siding? How do you attach your brick ties to it? I'm sure these are solvable problems without having to do anything too radical like have variants of your blocks with a profile in the top to accept a brick tie and masonry ladder but it feels like the Hadrian X isn't quite a complete solution yet.
One thing I've always wanted to see is similar to the Hadrian X but with traditional dimensional lumber instead of masonry. Imagine how much lighter and less capital intensive it would be to have a smaller mobile robot with a couple manipulator arms that can grip onto 2x lumber with some rollers and a circular saw so it can pickup, scan, measure, cut, cull, etc a bundle of wood and then just throw a nail gun on the thing and have it frame and stand up walls, give it a flimsy magnetic manipulator arm so it can nail on various Simpson connector hardware and have it put up trusses and joists as well. Maybe even make a variant that can straddle itself on joists and cut and manipulate panels and have it glue and screw all your subfloor down as well. I'm looking forward to the day we can have "Lumbertron 9000" that can reduce the amount of work a framer has to do on a house dramatically. Certain trades are definitely going to be harder to automate than others but even plumbing and electrical there's still a lot of room for automation around planning, cutting, gluing, recording, etc that could be a huge force multiplier letting them do substantially more work and more importantly higher quality work. That also sets the groundwork for taking BIM to a whole new level and have extremely detailed records of the as-built conditions of a home. It could be 50 years later and some future electrician could pull up the exact path that every single circuit in the house takes as well as stuff like lot numbers and locations of AFCI breakers, what batch of romex was used for a given conductor in the wall, where every junction is to make fault finding absurdly easy, etc. How great would it be if the next time there's some recall like the Federal Pacific Electric breakers that still regularly cause structure fires to this day every county code inspector could instantly have a report of every single serial number installed as well as their precise location and kept up to date during any kind of additions or alterations over the years?
BIM gets unreasonable when every little piece of information has to be recorded and tracked by a human but with ubiquitous automation, now it's suddenly very cheap and a no-brainer to implement if you can get industry wide standardization and compliance in place. Here's hoping the Hadrian X is the start of some monumental shift in construction, these kinds of fundamental changes are the only way I see for it to be possible to solve the housing crisis without drastically altering the standards and quality of life we come to expect from a house currently.
Welcome back! Thanks for another great video. 3D printed homes seem to only appeal to those who want to be different for the sake of being different. I do like the thought of having a block built home for the sake of insulation and sound proofing. The many times I have been in the market for a home has made me realize how home builders only cater to certain looks of a home, while not building quality homes. Most stick built homes have bouncy floors where stomping or working out will reverberate throughout the home. I've walked the outside of homes while my wife was speaking with the realtor and quickly realized I could hear every word they were saying from the outside, even though the windows were closed. All of that said, my next home will be custom built, because I want a quality home that faces south, uses solar to warm in the winter while keeping it shaded and cool in the summer, has quality sound proofing so I don't hear traffic on the nearby roads, and collects every drop of rainwater to save on the need for water pumped from the ground or water treatment facilities.
Welcome back!
I have been following Matt Ferrell at his Undecided channel and really like the net zero house he’s putting together. It’s a regular wood stud design but with panels assembled in a factory using robot arms to accurately cut and fit the parts, including installing the windows AND insulating the cavities (panels have OSB on both sides). They got his house in the dry in 3 days, despite horrible weather.
I'm in touch with Matt! Great guy. I'm going to visit a modular home factory in Idaho soon. Hope to build my own passive house someday.
Funny thing is people outside construction doesn't know that 30% of single family homes are built in factories. Been that way for decades. For some reason it's popular for the public to tell construction workers about factory built homes in a condescending way.
The 3d brick layer seems like a better idea, less setup and environmental impacts to the process (like temp, humidity, sun, freezing, etc). but making the CMUs exact means they are going to be more expensive and not using mortar means the price of that glue is going to be another price unknown. Also, we will need to see the engineering reports on its strength and seismic abilities.
Factory building as much as you can with robots/3d printers is where the most bang for the buck is. We don' take metal or plastic 3d printers outside or to the endpoint usage location. We run them in controlled environments where we can set it up and run it constantly. If we had to take down, move and reassemble constantly, the efficiency is drastically cut. This block layer does seem to be better in that it is highly mobile, doesn't rely on all the infrastructure that 3d printers require.
Yes. 10% more expensive. They said that in the video
@@jamesbizs unlikely a completely different and tighter toleranced CMU is going to only be 10% more. She is most likely repeating what the people selling the machine claim. And since the price of that block makes or breaks their products effectiveness, they have a strong incentive to under-report its expense.
@@Josh.1234 a single saw cut performed in an automated system isn’t going to add significant expense. The 10% figure sounds about right.
@@unicornadrian1358 CMU blocks are not cut in the manufacturing process, they use molds.
Making the blocks to be exact with low tolerance for variation requires a more expensive process.. all manufacturing that reduces tolerances is more expensive. When you have this custom block being created there will only be a few plants out there making them.. so even more expensive.
@@Josh.1234 lol I am aware that they use molds. The outer sides are all exactly the same, only the height varies. Therefore only a single cut is needed. Not an expensive operation.
I've seen multiple builds as an OJT plumbing supervisor between '19 -' 21. It's always a learning experience if your mind is receptive. I'm grateful for these insights, Belinda and welcome back.
Thanks!! Happy to be back!
Just a passer-by here. Very interesting outline, never knew about the robotic arm tech until this video. I’d seen Risingner highlight the 3D printers on his channel before. One factor that could be to the robotic arm detriment is elevation. The 3D printer can reach heights much higher (obviously sway becomes a greater issue to contend with) than a boom arm connected to a truck. In the case of “standard” residential subdivision development, this may not matter but a factor nonetheless. Thanks for the informative video! 😊
Good to have you back. And thank you for an interesting discussion on a topic that is very relevant.
I didn't realize how much I missed your methodically expressed contrasts and comparisons for the sake of sustainable building ideas!
Thanks a lot! Happy to be back
Do what you need to do in order to keep a balance. Whether it is once a week or once every 2 months, I'll always be happy to see a new video from you.
Thanks for the support!
As a musician and a wanna be acoustics expert I think that liquid concrete has a great deal of potential in constructing studio control rooms and other specialized listening and playing environments. The geometries required for these spaces can be difficult and expensive to construct using traditional methods. With 3D printing we could design and build acoustical environments that might have been impossible before, with bass trapping and other sound-control features built right into the wall cavities.
You have a very professional, realistic outlook on things you talk about. Thank you for your content, your videos are always a joy to watch!
Glad your back, great video! thank you for shading the info!
Gosh, I've not been following this channel for a while, but what an absolutely wonderful journalistic work are you making, I’m so impressed, like… This is VERY informative, like neither antitech nor pro "tech is THE solution", trying to find what would fit the wanted results the best. And honestly, you're doing such an amazing job bringing the most informations on the table so we can actually think about it.
You have great videos Belinda! Good to see you recovered from burnout. I’ve had several so far. Diet change is also important part as it has a direct impact on body’s energy
Glad your back, love your videos!
Great to have you back! Thanks for all your great videos, Jan
So good to hear from you. Love your videos. And love to hear that you also take time when you need it. ❤
Nice to see you back again! I personally love the idea of curved walls that 3D printers can do. It'd be soo fun to design a structure with.
I would love to see liquid concrete as a mortar and bedding layer that is then used between layers of block work. Or perhaps used as a way of automatically levelling uneven foundations so that automatic block laying is possible. Combining approaches here, I think had the possibility of better adoption and more flexibility than either alone.
This could also allow the automated creation of traditional looking facades, and the automated use traditional building materials.
You are awesome Belinda. Love your channel and appreciate your perspectives! Keep up the great work.
I always found the 3D printed concrete method to be too crude for house construction, more like a grand experiment at this point rather than a building method.
I think the block laying machine shows more promise.
Though, admittedly, they currently seem to be solving different problems. The concrete printing seems to want to be an all-in-one solution to getting the walls up while the block-laying is one part of the puzzle. It's not impossible to compare them but it certainly requires extra effort and understanding.
Block-laying certainly shows promise in the near-term but I agree with our host here, 3D printed concrete hasn't found isn't home (pun intended) yet.
I think we're also ignoring the cold joint that her guest mentioned. If you print a wall 1 in at a time, the concrete will be cold by them time you print the next layer.
It's good to hear from you. I love your down-to-earth way about you. Thank you for sharing robotic technology I didn't know about. I like that one even moreso.
It's very nice to hear someone say cost is the most important factor because that suggest you are a sensible person and you realise that the thing that will drive the usage is cost. So many of these science and tech channels have an optimistic approach where just because something is better is will be adopted.
I don't know how long you've been out but welcome back! what a top piece to talk about. such an interesting development and you explain it with all it nuances. thanks!
Welcome back! Thanks for another informative topic.
Welcome back Belinda! I’m glad you took some time for yourself. It’s important to see when you’re burning out and take action to change things. I had a business that put me way, way into burnout for years. It’s taking me years now to fully recover. Don’t let it happen to you, don’t hesitate to take more time whenever you need it.
Thanks though for this latest piece of great information, it’s the same intelligent, clear-headed and understandable style we’ve all come to appreciate so much!
Welcome back, Belinda! You’re a breath of fresh air!
I definitely like the brick system much better than the 3D printing, as well as their mindset. I don't know why the 3D printer owners think their walls should be seen on the inside. Aside from the dust-traps and cleaning troubles, it's uglier and provides less options. I have a brick exterior but my interior walls are all drywall. I can't imagine seeing my exterior bricks from the inside and thinking that's a good thing.
No Brasil usamos blocos de tijolos ou cimento. Depois ficamos massa fina com adesivo impermeável. Depois seco colocamos massa de cimento(areia e cimento) e desempenar com régua para liberar. Após nivelar aplicamos bloco de espumas para acabamento (liso ).
O cabeamento da pintura com massa fina (lixa) e realiza a pintura.
I was meaning to ask about that, do people render or plaster over the 3D walls? I kind of like the unusual aesthetics of it, but the dust trap element alone would be a nightmare to deal with. Not to mention, people just want to put up shelves and pictures and other creature comforts that need a flat surface.
@@nozero1 neither one of those require a flat surface, technically.......
Well I’m sure there’s nothing stopping people from rendering over the walls or whatever, it’s just preference I guess, I don’t like exposed brickwork inside buildings but many love it.
My guess is they leave it exposed so they can be more cost competitive. I'm sure they feature it as an aesthetic choice but I think the bottom line rules over all.
indeed. i also like the interlocking "traditional" bricks system. they are easy to setup & even untrained builders can make viable structures for a low cost. trying to print the entire structure in concrete might not be the best answer as many compromises have to be made. future development may fix this. its an interesting space.
Printing the entire thing sounds great but when you price and plan out a house build with it, you see its not helping you much. And I don't see where it could improve enough to change that.
Side note, what they downplay is its actually not concrete. Its a mortar mix with minimal aggregate (rock). Problem with that is, mortar is much weaker, expensive and has a larger environmental impact negating their green claims.
Love your videos. So interesting and informative. Thanks.
I am not in the construction trade but I still love watching your videos, it helps me understand the options available and which options would be best for my area.
Another very informative video. Thanks 🙏
Happy to see you back here. Good video. Take care of yourself.
In response to what Ms. Williamson had to say regarding "cold joints every 2 inches", I agree that testing is in order, BUT standard CMU construction also has "cold joints" *everywhere,* and those have stood the test of time (and rigorous testing). Obviously several factors determine how *cold* a joint is between 3D printed layers: time, humidity, temperature, wind, etc. *Earth bag* construction is an extreme example of cold joints between layers, with the added negative of plastic on plastic "lubrication" in the bags, though it is common to use strands of barbed wire between layers to lock each course to another... with a reinforced stucco surface layer adding strength.
Regarding the surface finish, BOTH CMUs and 3D printed concrete *need* finishing, IMHO, and reinforcement can be used to add surface strength. It seems to me that the nozzle on the concrete printer could be rectangular or have one or two *squeegees* on the vertical sides to minimize the width variation between layers and possibly increase contact surface area.
I love your videos. You always have great information delivered with style and intelligence!
Excellent video as usual. Very well thought through and well explained / demonstrated.
On another note, I really admire that top you are wearing. Very smart.
Welcome back! I missed your informative materials science videos.
As simply another nerd with a 3d printer, it's very refreshing to hear about how architects are thinking about these techs, and it's easy to appreciate how correct Belinda is about it's overall feasibility for solving larger problems than the desktop toys that i create.
Good to see your videos again!
GREAT TO HEAR YOU PAUSED TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!
I'll never actually know you, but know you are valued for more than just your videos.
Take care Belinda.
Cheers!
Excellent video, I learned a lot. Thank you!
I subscribed to this channel today and have been binge watching this past hour 🤣 such interesting subjects in each video, with facts but also interesting opinions, thank you!
I don't know how you do it? Such great unbiased content, one after another. I've been in the AEC industry my whole life. I was a general contractor for 30 years and now work for an architectural firm. I teach construction technology: steel framing, estimating, contractor's license law and project management part-time at a local college in Southern California. I share a number of your videos my students. They are spot on. Thank you for all the effort. Take a brake, slow down, go for a walk and smell the roses:)
Just discovered this video. I really like your balanced educational approach. I just subscribed. Greet work! Looking forward to more of your infotainment. Cheers!
As usual, great thoughtful video! Thanks a lot!
Very happy to see you back Belinda. I am happy to hear you took some time for yourself.
Hi Belinda Carr thankyou so much for posting this report.
Good for you for taking a break and I'm glad you're back. Please look out for your own well-being first and foremost as always.
Great video and really interesting comments from FBR's CEO; he's absolutely right about cost. I wonder about tech like this for the application of making stem wall foundations. Having to get masons or a form-setting concrete guy out as the first step before your framers can drive a single nail is absolutely a driver of costs. Unless the builder has that trade in-house it can also be a driver of schedule. I'm imagining a truck like this driving up to a site prepped with a footing and just going to town for 6 hours leaving a finished basement or crawl space behind. What a dream. That robot would be worked 365 days a year around here.
Hi Belinda! I'm so happy you're back! Great video, as always.
Belinda, you are my go-to source for unbiased construction methods. I love your content and I can only hope that builders watch your videos for proper insight. Keep going with the content you have been providing so far - it is spot on.
Good to see you and welcome back.
This is consistently great content. Many thanks!
Greetings from Brazil. Thank you for the great content. I hope you get better at managing your burning rate!
Great content as ever Belinda 👏
Great video! Loved this.
Dang, those comparisons were seriously eye-opening! The video was pretty awesome too. And I gotta say, I'm not even into construction, but I actually learned a ton from it.
Really informative you know what you are doing 👍👍👍
As a builder I really appreciate the clear-eyed, hype-free perspective Belinda brings. I come here for objectivity with passion and rarely leave disappointed.
Love your videos, Belinda. About the adhesive, do we know the life time and repair issues? The adhesive will have to sit for a hundred years or more? My neighbor just had a 6 in pole rammed through the side of his house. No one injured, but the brick was repaired in a day, what about this system? GREAT STUFF!
Bless you Belinda and all.
Thanks for the unbiased realistic thorough review.
Glad you took some time to revive, looking great ! I would go with brick over 3D printing. Just looks more reliable and easier to work with. Don't need to worry about the next concrete showing up or how to clear all those lines. Appreciate you bringing up the cons to 3D printing. Very few people are doing that.
I think you do a terrific job. Your practical approach to construction and examining claims.
Thanks a lot!!
Glad your back. Love your content.
It does sound like a much better system. Thanks for the great video and welcome back!
So happy to see you back.
Your information is far above the rest.
Thank you so much! Happy to be back!
Your content is amazing and worth the wait, you do you when ever you need, we'll be here when you get back.
Nice! Thanks Belinda. Your concrete block fan from Maine!
Excellent presentation, very thought provoking. Thank you.
Thanks!!
Thank you for this and all your videos.
I feel like combining the aspects of bricklaying and factory/modular will be the best way to do it.
Ship the walls tightly packed.
Drop/fit the walls/floors into some precise foundation.
Connect the pre-setup plumbing/electrical/AC between the walls.
That way more aspects can be automated. (Framing, drywall, electrical, cat6, AC, plumbing, windows, etc.)
Some rooms like for the water heater and AC unit could be 100% premade to have basically all systems connected on day 1.
Also: Great video! Wasn't aware of the Hadrian X, seems real neat and compact
Very well thought out.
We use Kalksandstein (KS) bricks when we need dimensional tolerances to be that good.
They are made by wet pressure treating silica sand with quicklime to let the caustic quicklime dissolve the surface of the and grains and bond with them.
Those bricks are the common type of brick used in the past 30(+?) years in Germany for structural firewalls and similar in at least residential construction.
(Because they get pressure-molded, it's easy to mold them to tight tolerances.)
Excellent presentation! Thank you!
thanks for mentioning burnout and thanks for all the cool content
everything that I have seen about these 3D printing, brick stacking, and whatever else designs, convinces me more and more that the future of affordable housing is a modular design built in a factory and assembled on sight.
Yes, Glad you're back!!
Welcome back I missed your videos
As a 3d printing company founder I agree with you in terms of robotic arm freedom , even we are solving this issue.
Good to see you back again.
That is not 3D printing. It's automated assembly. It is a superior method. Would love to see it combined with further automated assembly.
The flexibility of the brick layer gives it a much stronger leg up when it comes to material choice. Materials like hemp-creat are even lighter but I don't believe it could be printed liquid like the big gantry system. The ability to use any kind of brick as opposed to needing something that filled through a hose is going to be able to use much more standardized materials which will absolutely reduce cost. As well those mushroom bricks I believe can be grown to shape. Concrete is going to eventually fall out of favor for it's high pollution production so being able to adjust in the future gives the brick layer a much more stable future, as well as using a lot of existing, proven tech rather then making new in development gantry systems for liquid 3d printing. It's a lot more future proof. And that's ignoring the fact that a gantry can only have one head. You could have multiple brick layers working on the same project simultaneously, so the scalability is only limited by how far the arms can reach.
I was wondering where your videos went, welcome back.
Look after yourself. I really enjoy your presentations. Great common sense combined with experience and knowledge. Hard to beat.
Appreciate a no nonsense analysis
Carbon footprint of cement/blocks. Nuff said.
Then there is adobe/cob or stone for desert areas, non earthquake areas, wood framing with dimension lumber/engineered wood structure, for other areas.
The wood structure can be factory assembled, to help lower overall cost.
Awesome content and you are looking great
Great unique content,.....subscribed.
No need to burn yourself out!
Your audience will be there.
Another great program
God bless
I continue to love what I learn in your videos Belinda. Keep up the good work but remember work life balance. I have nothing to do with the building industry, but I love science and tech and this fits the bill. 😊
great work thanks for sharing knowladge mam :)
Nice job. All the best
Nice video! You do a great job!
Thank you!!
The difference is powdered concrete is easier to transport and the water is on-site. If a truck carrying powdered concrete crashed it would probably be safer than a truck carrying blocks.
Pumping concrete is common and is currently being used. Pumping concrete is already an accepted method and has been seasoned and the long-term results are known.
Concrete Pumping machines have an existing supply chain for parts. Construction workers are already familiar with concrete pumping procedures and machinery maintenance and repairs and set up.
One of the main issues in construction is logistics. The other issue is scheduling the tradesmen.
Failures in construction often arise when there is a new product or method. Some new products could be far superior but not have the workforce needed to make it work. When self leveling concrete becoming more widespread the workforce did always follow procedures. Mixing was a vital part of the process that often got overlooked and the job would fail. Then there was this tool known as a porcupine that wasn't getting used. This would reduce the effectiveness of the leveling and flatness. There was also the problem with bonding and bonding agents.