While 3D building information modeling (BIM) and digital prototyping have taken away the need for physical shop-built models and created whole new workflows for architects and engineers, clients and authorities with jurisdiction still want physical models to exhibit at planning hearings and show to prospective commercial building tenants or condo unit buyers.
Until recently, most 3D printers cost upwards of $40,000. Burlington, Mass.-based Z Corporation recently introduced the ZPrinter 150 (grayscale only; $14,900) and ZPrinter 250 (CMYK color; $24,900). Compare those prices to Z Corp's own ZPrinter 450, at $45,000.
These new machines are aimed at small architecture studios and firms that want to print their own design iterations to enable closer study of design options while also enhancing communication between project team members and owners. AEC firms can now provide resin-printed 3D color models from any CAD file at greatly reduced cost, due to the lower prices of the latest 3D printers and their associated production materials.
Rather than using polymers or other manufacturing materials, Z Corp's machines use an inkjet printing system based on Hewlett-Packard technology. Here's how it works: A 3D CAD file is imported into the Zeditpro software (included with the printer). The software slices any CAD or BIM file into thin cross-sections and feeds them into the 3D printer. The printer creates the model one layer at a time by spreading a layer of gypsum-based powder and inkjet printing binder into the cross-sections of the model. The process is repeated until every layer is printed.
This is the only 3D printing technology that allows full-color CMYK printing. This method is faster than other additive processes and much, much faster than subtractive prototyping, in which a block of material is carved into shape. Other more costly 3D printing technologies employ either selective laser sintering, which uses heat to fuse metal or plastic elements, or digital light projection, wherein a liquid polymer is exposed to light from a DLP projector under safelight conditions to harden it into a plastic. One printer even uses fused sugar as its printing material.
"Both the ZPrinter 150 and 250 can use any CAD package that can export into the STL file format, and they offer everything the other machines do, just with a smaller package and a little more build time," said Joe Titlow, Z Corporation's VP of product management.
Titlow said the ZPrinter 250 "borrowed a lot" from the ZPrinter 450. "Since the 450 came out in 2007, we've come to understand how to further miniaturize its internal vacuum system, the internal feeder hopper, and its fluid systems, which are self-contained and cartridge-based. All of those technologies have been optimized for this lower-cost package."
One difference between the two generations of printers is that the 250 does not have a side-mounted de-powdering unit with a compressed-air blower, as the 450 does. The resin build material for a 3D model has also gone down in price over the last three years. Powder and binding materials for a Z Corp inkjet-style 3D printer would cost about $3-$5 per cubic inch for a machine owner, according to Impact 3D Models, a Chicago-based 3D modeling company that produces all of its models from a ZPrinter 650. That's down from more than $7 a cubic inch as recently as 2007.
"Everything in the build is variable from project to project," said Matthew Mondo, Impact's VP. "Some models that require more binding material can be more costly, and some shapes require more powder to make." Depending on the complexity of the model, he said, a finished product can run up to $30 per inch, "but it really all depends on what you're looking for."
Mondo said his firm is seeing an uptick in retail layout and MEP modeling work. Clients include TME, a Little Rock, Ark., MEP firm, and construction manager/general contractor Hill International.
Making the file exchange
Three-dimensional geometry is easily transferred from CAD and BIM applications to 3D printers because STL, the file format nearly all of these systems use, is a generic file interchange that many 3D modeling applications can produce and many software packages can consume. Software packages from a wide variety of manufacturers, including AutoCAD, Revit, Solidworks, and Bentley Microstation, can all be easily converted into STL files.
Autodesk has made a free STL exporter for its Revit BIM platform available as a technology preview on its Autodesk Labs testing website. The Revit STL Exporter automates the process of turning a Revit file into an STL file for any of the 2010 Revit family of products (Revit Architecture 2010, Revit MEP 2010, Revit Structure 2010).
Kelcey Lemon, senior technical marketing manager for Building AEC Solutions at Autodesk, said interest in 3D printing among AEC firms is growing, particularly to aid in the visualization and comprehension of design proposal.
Related Stories
Mass Timber | Jan 30, 2023
Net-positive, mass timber building will promote research on planetary well-being in Barcelona
ZGF Architects, along with Barcelona-based firms MIRAG and Double Twist, have designed a net-positive, mass timber center for research on planetary well-being. Located in Barcelona, the Mercat del Peix Research Center will bring together global experts in the experimental sciences, social sciences, and humanities to address challenges related to the future of the planet.
AEC Tech | Jan 27, 2023
Epic Games' latest foray into the AEC market and real estate industry
From architecture to real estate, the realm of computer-aided design hits new heights as more and more firms utilize the power of Epic Games’ Twinmotion and Unreal Engine.
University Buildings | Jan 27, 2023
Ozarks Technical Community College's advanced manufacturing center is first-of-a-kind in region
The new Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing at Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Mo., is a first-of-a-kind educational asset in the region. The 125,000-sf facility will educate and train a new generation in high tech, clean manufacturing and fabrication.
Mass Timber | Jan 27, 2023
How to set up your next mass timber construction project for success
XL Construction co-founder Dave Beck shares important preconstruction steps for designing and building mass timber buildings.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jan 26, 2023
Miami’s motorsport ‘country club’ to build sleek events center
Designed by renowned Italian design firm Pininfarina and with Revuelta as architect, The Event Campus at The Concours Club will be the first and only motorsport-based event campus located within minutes of a major metro area.
Student Housing | Jan 26, 2023
6 ways 'choice architecture' enhances student well-being in residence halls
The environments we build and inhabit shape our lives and the choices we make. NAC Architecture's Lauren Scranton shares six strategies for enhancing well-being in residence halls.
K-12 Schools | Jan 25, 2023
As gun incidents grow, schools have beefed up security significantly in recent years
Recently released federal data shows that U.S. schools have significantly raised security measures in recent years. About two-thirds of public schools now control access to school grounds—not just the building—up from about half in the 2017-18 school year.
AEC Tech Innovation | Jan 24, 2023
ConTech investment weathered last year’s shaky economy
Investment in construction technology (ConTech) hit $5.38 billion last year (less than a 1% falloff compared to 2021) from 228 deals, according to CEMEX Ventures’ estimates. The firm announced its top 50 construction technology startups of 2023.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jan 24, 2023
Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada
At 30,105 seats and 530,000 sf, GEODIS Park, which opened in 2022, is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada. Created by design firms Populous and HASTINGS in collaboration with the Metro Nashville Sports Authority, GEODIS Park serves as the home of the Nashville Soccer Club as well as a venue for performances and events.
Concrete | Jan 24, 2023
Researchers investigate ancient Roman concrete to make durable, lower carbon mortar
Researchers have turned to an ancient Roman concrete recipe to develop more durable concrete that lasts for centuries and can potentially reduce the carbon impact of the built environment.