Icon to sell its 3D-printing robots to builders
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Icon's new large scale 3D printing system, Titan. Photo: Courtesy of Icon
Icon, the Austin-based 3D-printing construction company, is selling its technology to other builders for the first time, allowing them to operate the company's latest robotic building system.
Why it matters: The country is facing a housing shortage coupled with high construction costs, and Icon is betting that automation can dramatically lower the cost of building homes.
Driving the news: The company on Wednesday announced the launch of Titan, a multistory 3D-printing robotic construction system designed to build walls for roughly $20 per square foot — a potential 40% reduction compared to averages for conventional wall systems.
- The new Titan system, now available to builders and construction companies, can print structures up to 27 feet high.
- It's a leap from Icon's current Vulcan printer, which tops out at 12 feet.
How it works: Icon's full-stack 3D-printing construction platform comes with robotics, software, architecture, training and ongoing support.
- Builders can reserve Icon's Titan with a $5,000 deposit. The unit starts at $899,000, with additional costs for build materials, architecture designs and an annual software fee.
What they're saying: "The cost, speed, and quality of conventional construction is simply not delivering what the world needs from the industry right now," Icon co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard said in a statement.
- "The Titan program is for builders who don't want to choose between high quality, higher speed, and lower cost."
- Ballard added that he believes robotics and AI will eventually handle nearly all construction, cutting time and costs in half while improving quality.
The big picture: Other companies, such as COBOD, sell or lease 3D construction printers, but Icon's technology stands out by integrating robotics, software, materials, training and support allowing builders to deploy a fully proven system at scale, according to Ballard.
- Icon has built more than 245 homes and structures, according to the company.
Zoom in: Icon has rapidly expanded its footprint in Central Texas in recent years, building 3D homes in Mueller, Wimberley and Georgetown.
- The company recently announced new luxury lakefront homes at The Canyon Club in Spicewood.
- The construction firm has also partnered with NASA to figure out ways to build on the moon, printed Army barracks at Fort Bliss in El Paso and is expected to open 3D-printed hotel El Cosmico at a new site in Marfa this year.
What's next: Icon will continue to develop and build its own projects in Austin and elsewhere, the company tells Axios.
- The company plans to use Titan for several projects in Austin this year, beginning with homes at Community First! Village in northeast Austin for unhoused residents.
- Future Austin projects with Titan include a 35-foot-tall, 3D-printed church designed by Overland Partners at 2128 Barton Hills Drive and a multistory development with over 60 homes designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group at 600 Kemp St.