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3D-printed (houses) modular builder Mighty Buildings edges toward certification of higher-strength and sustainable glass fibre-reinforced housing panels.
Last summer, US-based Mighty Buildings Inc. officially launched Mighty Mods, its 3D-printed houses, prefabricated modular accessory dwelling units (ADU), which are manufactured via a combination of additively manufactured thermoset resin panels and steel frames.
Now, in addition to selling and building Mighty Mods using the company’s extrusion- and UV-cure-based large-format additive manufacturing process, in 2021 the company is focusing on certification of a continuous glass fibre-reinforced version of its thermoset Light Stone Material (LSM). This will enable Mighty Buildings to begin building and selling its next product: the Mighty Kit System (MKS).
According to Sam Ruben, chief sustainability officer (CSO) at Mighty Buildings, as the company looks to expand to customers outside of California and to building larger structures, there are inherent transportation limitations to shipping these ready-made structures. Therefore, the Mighty Kit System will include structural panels and other construction materials shipped for on-site assembly using basic construction equipment. Their Mighty House product line is the first to use the Mighty Kit System and was developed in partnership with EYRC Architects and Buro Happold Engineering.
In addition, all Mighty Kits will use 3D-printed, fibre-reinforced thermoset composite structural panels. Ruben says that the fibre reinforcement enables parts made with the material to “have similar characteristics to reinforced concrete of the same size, with four times less weight and over four times better insulation.”
Ultimately, Ruben says that the fibre-reinforced panels will enable the company to expand into multi-story single-family homes, multi-family townhouses, and three- to six-story low-rise apartment buildings. “We hope to start building demonstrator structures next year for these as well,” he says.
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