Tiny Houses = Big Opportunities for 3D printing!

Recently, Tiny Houses have made a big splash in the news and their reach keeps expanding! See how this Tiny House Movement is making its way to the world of 3D printing. (Image: businessinsider.com)

In the United States, more and more people are seeking to live a simpler, less expensive way of life and one way to live out this idea is to join in on the Tiny House Movement.

These Tiny Houses that we speak of usually measure in at about 400 square feet and, as you can see, they live up to their name, “Tiny Houses.”

Not only is this particular movement encouraging people to downsize, it’s also, as you would expect, environmentally and financially friendly – two other enticing benefits.

3D printing service bureau, Sculpteo, has highlighted the fact that there are a myriad of designs for Tiny Houses available for free online.

These designs range from custom brackets to shelves and the 3D printers that are used in the process are able to fabricate the smaller components that are used in construction as well.

The idea of Tiny Houses isn’t entirely new; in fact, last year, urban design professor Peter Ebner, along with his students in the UCLA 3M futureLAB, created a fully-functional “microhouse” that was built via 3D printing.

The students took on the challenge to create their prototype of the 3D-printed microhouse in just 10 weeks. At the end of that time period, the house was completed and was seven feet wide by seven feet long and 11 feet tall. The design was made in two halves, which were then joined to create an enclosed shell.

In this microhouse were a bed, kitchen, full bathroom, storage space and a small lounge area with room for a TV.

In order to build strong walls that would retain heat, the students modeled the interior of the walls to resemble the internal structure of bones, which are porous. These walls assisted in the heating and cooling of the house.

The UCLA house was less than 50 square feet of home-sweet-home!

The microhouse, as pictured above from UCLA 3M futureLAB.

Albeit very interesting, Ebner chose 3D printing and portable microhomes as the focus of this particular project because it fits the mission of 3M futureLAB – using technology to develop solutions to social problems, like alleviating overcrowding in urban areas that have insufficient affordable housing, while using fewer materials.

Additionally, Sculpteo agrees with Ebner and his students in that 3D printing allows for mass customization that can improve safety features to protect homeowners in the future.

Now, the microhouse is just one example of the possibilities that remain with the creation of Tiny Houses. The future for the Tiny House Movement still hangs in the balance, but we think there’s room for big opportunities!

Sources:

https://3dprint.com/88730/tiny-houses-meet-3d-printing/