NMC Looks To Acquire 'Potentially Revolutionary' Equipment For 3D Printing Houses

If we can’t build our way out of the housing crisis, maybe we can print our way out of the housing crisis.

That’s the general idea behind an effort to equip the construction technology program at Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) with what the college calls “potentially revolutionary 3D wall printing capability.”

Last fall, NMC’s construction tech program traveled to Nashville to compete in the “Pitch for the Skilled Trades” competition. Held each year by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), that contest allows NACCE members “to pitch to a panel of judges and potentially win funding” for ideas that may “expand opportunities in the skilled trades and apprenticeships.” NMC’s pitch? Revamping the construction tech curriculum by purchasing a sophisticated 3D printer capable of “using a robotic arm to build a programmed wall from a single material like concrete.”

“A local builder, Al Everett, had brought the idea to NMC’s Office of Possibilities (OOPs),” explains Carolyn Andrews, coordinator for the construction tech program. OOPs works within the college and throughout the region “to support ideas, create a community of sharing, and be an idea incubator, all toward the vision of driving innovation.” As Andrews tells the story, OOPs co-director Will Kitchen was so taken with Everett’s idea that he immediately started looking for ways to fund it. The good news? He found an ideal starting point in the form of the Pitch for the Trades contest. The bad news? NMC had less than a month to put together a pitch.

“Most of the teams [that we’d be competing against] had had a year to prepare,” Andrews tells The Ticker. “The competition actually encourages skits, and a lot of teams do that sort of thing. But since we had so little time, I stuck to my guns and said, ‘We’re just going to do a professional presentation because that’s what we’ll be most comfortable with.’”

The lack of flash and style didn’t matter: NMC was one of six teams to make the Pitch for the Skilled Trades finals, and NACCE ultimately awarded Andrews and her team $5,000 to conduct a feasibility study, with another $30,000 to follow if the 3D printing idea proved tenable. Last month, NACCE officially gave the green light on the $30,000 prize.

So, what’s next? Andrews says the goal is to start integrating 3D printing technology into the curriculum as soon as this fall. There’s still some ground to cover to make that timeline possible, though. According to NMC, the necessary equipment – built by a company called Alquist 3D – carries a total price tag of $350,000.

“So, we’re looking for donors to get us started,” Andrews says.

It’s a sizable lift, but Everett is confident the money will come through. As part of the OOPs advisory team – not to mention a “subject matter expert” in the world of construction – Everett has been a key player in helping the office advocate for the 3D printing concept among local industry partners and other potential funding sources. Especially now that NMC has been awarded the full $35,000 from NACCE, Everett isn’t concerned about getting community buy-in.

“Since [the NACCE funding was awarded], we’ve got some other investments coming in – commitments to get the equipment at the college,” Everett says, adding that he’s talked to “probably half a dozen” construction companies in the area that are interested in having this type of technology come to town.

Among the interested parties is the Home Builders Association of the Grand Traverse Area (HBAGTA). There, Executive Officer Lauren Tucker sees the technology as an opportunity to kickstart a new era of innovation around the building trades in northern Michigan – an industry she concedes “has not historically been innovative.” While Tucker doesn’t expect 3D printing to be the “silver bullet” that solves the local housing crisis, she does think it could help drive big gains – from creating new efficiencies in home construction that alleviate challenges around staffing shortages and cost of materials, to inspiring STEM-focused young people to consider career paths in the building trades.

“One of the biggest problems that we have in Michigan is talent retention and attraction,” Tucker says. “So, to have attractive programs like this that aren't really found anywhere else, that could really help us.”

Everett agrees, noting that a cutting-edge technology like 3D house printing introduces totally new dimensions into the building trades, including new careers. For example, students interested in robotics might be drawn to the digital side of programming the 3D printers.

If NMC can secure enough funding to take the plunge on the 3D printer, Andrews says the college will have considerable assistance from Alquist itself in incorporating the technology into its curriculum.

“What’s attractive about Alquist is that they are already doing this in Greenley, Colorado with Aims Community College,” Andrews says. “The thought was, ‘Hey, if they’re already [working with a community college] there, maybe we can follow suit.’”

One part of the curriculum will likely be a partnership between the NMC building tech program and Everett’s in-progress ThriveTC housing development, with hopes of students and industry professionals working together to build Traverse City’s first 3D-printed home. Everett thinks simply having a proof-of-concept home in place will not only drive more interest in this technology, but also other innovations that could similarly shake up the local building scene.

“I think 3D goes a long way in starting the conversation of: ‘What else can we do?’” Everett says.

Pictured: The start of a 3D-printed house in Iowa, courtesy of Alquist 3D.