3D Printing: New technology 'prints' houses

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3-D printing is nothing new. It can be used to print all sorts of things - from some little gadgets to body parts. But now a company has printed some bus stops in the east of China. What's more, they have also printed out some houses. CGTN's Li Jianhua went to the factory and unveiled the mystery of 3-D printed houses.

This seems nothing else than a boring grey wall. However, it serves more than that. This is a bus stop in a small town in east China's Jiangsu Province.

MA YIHE HEAD OF YINGCHUANG BUILDING TECHNIQUE "This bus stop is mainly made of construction waste. The processed waste was converted into the printing materials. Steel slag was also used in the making. Altogether, we used six tonnes of construction waste, about two tonnes of steel slag, and only one tonne of cement to build this bus stop."

Though it looks crude from the outside, it is very handy during bad weather.

RESIDENT FENGJING, SHANGHAI "This bus stop helps handle the wind and rain from outside. We didn't have this before - so we would get soaked when it rained. But not now. This is very helpful."

But how a 3-D printer creates such a gigantic building remains a mystery for many. Rounds after rounds, a bus stop - like the one we saw - can be finished within hours. The company does not stop with bus stops. They are moving on to create "shared houses".

LI JIANHUA SUZHOU "Ten years ago, hardly anyone had heard of 3D printing. But the industry has made much progress over the past years. While most people still think only small gadgets can be printed, this company has created a house that can be lived in."

With a room no bigger than 10 square metres, it's equipped with a bed, a desk, and a bathroom. Depending on the materials they work with, varying designs can be worked out - coffee tables, chairs, and various kinds of decorative walls. But most importantly, they are eco-friendly.

SUN LIDONG MANAGER, YINGCHUANG BUILDING TECHNIQUE "Environmental protection-wise, we use processed mine tailing and construction waste as building materials. In the meantime, we also do research on the use of mine dumps, so as to integrate them into the printing materials."

The company is also calling for rubbish classification - saying rubbish can be turned into treasure if put into the right place. LJH, CGTN, SUZHOU.