Many firms and startups are trying to apply the techniques of 3D printing to building construction, including upscaling the tech to 3D-print entire structures from the ground up. But Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Branch Technology is taking a different approach, using its additive 3D printer only to sketch out the shape of a wall, so it can be finished with more conventional construction materials.
“Probably the biggest fundamental difference between us and [other 3D-printing firms] is, they’re looking to maximize the use of 3D printing while we’re trying to minimize it,” says Platt Boyd, founder and CEO of Branch. “By asking how we can limit it, we can use traditional construction materials to maximize strength.”