By Andrew P. McCoy and Fred Sargent
Published On October 15, 2021

Houses are being 3D-printed, and electrical contractors need to anticipate their role in this brave new world.

The inevitable question that industry observers will ask is, “If building contractors can 3D-print entire houses, why can’t electrical contractors 3D-print hard-to-get replacement parts right on the job? That would save time and money.”

As more electrical work gravitates toward low-voltage DC, the types of replacement parts will predictably be more conducive to 3D printing.

A critical housing shortage, particularly in rural areas, is driving the 3D-printing phenomenon. Therefore, Virginia Housing, the state’s housing authority, provided an innovation demonstration grant to the Virginia Center for Housing Research (VCHR) at Virginia Tech to fund, in part, the purchase of a 3D construction printer.

Alquist, an additive construction company in Iowa City, Iowa, partnered with VCHR to construct a single-family prototype in the Midlothian neighborhood of Richmond, Va. This is the first 3D-printed home for residential sale in the United States.

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