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This 3D Printed Home Was Built In Just One Day

And the technology can be used for bigger homes, too.

Building a new home can be a long and costly process, but a 3D-printing startup has found a way to fix that.

San Francisco-based company Apis Cor printed a small home in Russia in just 24 hours in December.

The project is the first time a home has been built with mobile 3D-printing technology. The printer requires two people to operate (and a crane for transportation) but only takes 30 minutes to set up before it can start printing.

Take a peek inside the tiny home:

The World's First On-Site 3D-Printed House

The World's First On-Site 3D-Printed House

The 38 sq.-metre (409 sq.-ft.) home's walls were printed with concrete. Then, the printer was removed with a crane, and contractors wired the home, painted it, and installed windows, flooring and doors.

The technology does have some limitations. It can't pour below -5 C (the builders erected a protective tent around the construction site in Russia to keep the project warm), and it's only recommended for buildings as high as three storeys.

The company built the house with rounded walls, to show off the flexibility of 3D printing, and how it can allow for more unique designs. The curve of the living room wall was built to exactly match the radius of a curved TV screen.

The home cost US$10,134 to build. Windows and doors were the largest expense at $3,548. A square home would be even cheaper, the company noted in a blog post.

The company also says using the 3D printer for walls saves 70 per cent of the cost compared to conventional construction techniques, without accounting for human errors or the additional flexibility of design 3D printing allows.

Apis Cor says its printer is available for sale or lease, but doesn't say how much it costs, only that operator training is included in the price.

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