New 3D Printing Methods: Construction for the Future or a Gimmick?

A new 3-D technology that could reduce the time needed to build housing developments and slash the need for dangerous labor is getting the attention of industry leaders. It’s called “contour crafting”, a practice that’s explained in this post by Stanley Jackson on ConstructionDigital.com. “Contour crafting creates physical prototypes from designers’ CAD drawings, which were themselves once shunned but are now employed by most architects.  Special software deconstructs the designer’s drawings into very thin layers and then instructs a machine to deposit material in corresponding layers, building up a physical representation of the model.” One of the barriers to this building method: Unemployment.

 http://www.constructiondigital.com/architectural_design/a-print-preview-of-the-future