The future of construction has changed thanks to the advances in prefabrication technology and automated solutions. However, one company aims to improve housing construction thanks to its “production-as-a-service” platform. Mighty Buildings is a startup based in Oakland, CA. Their mission, to create affordable and sustainable homes with a clean contemporary aesthetic, is made possible thanks to highly specific 3D printing technologies.
According to the Mighty Buildings site, they are “the first company to achieve certification under the UL 3401 standard for evaluating building structures and assemblies.” The idea of 3D printed structures and buildings is not new. Across the globe, several projects have used implemented 3D print fabrication, robots, and machine learning to build more efficiently. For the Oakland-based company their printers use a specific thermoset composite called Light Stone Material (LSM). What makes their fabrication process faster than most traditional construction methods is due to the LSM’s reaction to UV light. Once the material is exposed to this light it hardens faster, making it more effective than most building materials like concrete or plaster.