Apis Cor 3D printer assembles in 30 minutes, prints a building in 1 day

Updated Nov 16, 2015

Apis Cor 3D printer

Though 3D printing is a technology that seems destined to greatly impact the construction industry, up until recently that impact still felt far off. But this year alone we’ve seen bridges, homes and hotel rooms built using 3D printing methods that decrease project times significantly.

Now, according to 3Dprint.com, Russian engineer Nikita Chen-yun-tai has created a compact 3D printer named the Apis Cor, which can print an entire building in just one day.

3Dprint reports Chen-yun-tai set out to create a 3D printer that is more effective and more convenient. He also aimed to make a 3D printer that can fabricate materials while positioned atop nearly any surface. The Apis Cor does just that with a large printing zone of up to 630 square feet.

The secret to the machine’s speed is its extruder, which prints two planes at once. That means it’s able to print sloping walls horizontally and vertically. But perhaps one of the most impressive things about this printer, other than its speed, is that it’s fairly compact and easy to transport.

Only a truck is needed to move it from jobsite to jobsite and Chen-yun-tai says his printer can be moved from position to position on active building sites quickly—even between multiple stories. Total assembly time is reportedly only 30 minutes.

“This printer doesn’t have any massive and hard-to-install railings, on which it could move around the site, yet even that doesn’t limit its possibilities,” 3Dprint.com explains. “From a single point of construction it can build up to 192 square meters of lodging with almost no limitations in height.”