The University of Maine has once again pushed the boundaries of additive manufacturing with the unveiling of an even larger 3D printer, dwarfing its predecessor and opening up possibilities for rapid construction and large-scale object creation. This new machine, showcased on Tuesday, is four times the size of the original “world’s largest polymer 3D printer” commissioned just five years prior, signaling a significant leap forward in 3D printing technology. This massive printer is poised to accelerate the development of 3D-printed home technology using bio-based materials, with the ambitious long-term goal of creating entire printed neighborhoods to combat homelessness in the region by offering affordable housing solutions.
Dubbed the “Factory of the Future 1.0,” this colossal printer utilizes thermoplastic polymers extruded through a robotic system, as explained by Habib Dagher, director of UMaine’s Advanced Structures & Composite Center. This center houses both the original and the new behemoth printers. The “Factory of the Future 1.0” integrates advanced robotics with cutting-edge sensors, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence, representing a significant advancement in manufacturing capabilities. Looking to the future, Dagher hinted at even larger printers in development, with plans to incorporate lessons learned from this iteration into future designs as the University of Maine expands its facilities with a new building this summer.
Representatives from various sectors, including the departments of defense, energy, and housing, alongside other stakeholders interested in leveraging the printer’s groundbreaking technologies, attended the unveiling event. Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, expressed her astonishment, stating that the printer surpassed her expectations and hailed it as “a beacon of innovation.” During the event, while speakers addressed the audience, the printer remained active behind a black curtain, subtly whirring. The culmination of the unveiling was the curtain’s removal, revealing the printer engaged in a test project for a future boat, demonstrating its immediate operational capacity.
The sheer scale of the printer is breathtaking. Its frame dominates the expansive building on the UMaine campus, capable of printing objects up to 96 feet in length, 32 feet in width, and 18 feet in height (29 meters by 10 meters by 5.5 meters). Its operational voracity is equally impressive, consuming up to 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of material every hour.
The university’s original 3D printer, launched in 2019, already held the Guinness World Record as the world’s largest polymer 3D printer. It was instrumental in creating “BioHome3D,” a 600-square-foot, single-family home constructed from recyclable wood fiber and bio-resin materials. This project underscored the potential for rapid home construction using 3D printing. Maine faces a pressing housing shortage, needing an estimated 80,000 additional homes in the next six years according to MaineHousing, making innovative solutions like 3D printing particularly relevant.
Dagher emphasized the dual challenge of affordable housing scarcity and a shortage of construction workers. The university’s initiative aims to demonstrate how 3D printing can construct homes almost entirely by machine, significantly reducing the carbon footprint associated with traditional building methods. The building and construction sector is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately 37%, largely due to carbon-intensive materials like cement, steel, and aluminum, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. A key advantage of these printed structures is their recyclability. “You can basically deconstruct it, you can grind it up if you wish, the 3D printed parts, and reprint with them, do it again,” Dagher explained, highlighting the circular economy potential of this technology. He further clarified that the vision extends beyond just affordable or bio-based housing, aiming to create homes that are genuinely desirable: “We wanted to build a house that people would say, ‘Wow, I really want to live there.’”
Funding for the new multi-million dollar printer was largely provided by the Army Corps of Engineers, as stated by Dannel Malloy, chancellor of the University of Maine System. The printer itself is a product of collaboration between the university and Ingersoll Machine Tools Inc., responsible for the printer’s construction, and Somatex, which built the supporting structure.
Looking ahead, researchers are focused on refining the printer’s material input, exploring increased use of bio-based feedstocks derived from wood residuals, a readily available resource in Maine, the most forested state in the U.S. However, the printer’s applications extend far beyond housing. It has already been utilized for diverse projects ranging from boat manufacturing to defense department structures. The original printer previously produced a 25-foot boat, and future projects for the new printer include a 50-foot boat and housing solutions for the homeless.
The original 3D printer remains operational, and the two machines are intended to work synergistically. They can collaborate on single projects or even individual components, with plans for further expansion of the printer fleet in the future, officials confirmed, underscoring the University of Maine’s commitment to advancing large-scale 3D printing and its transformative potential across various industries.
