'This is what keeps me excited': Walmart is 3D printing its stores — and the technology could slash construction costs by 15%

Not only does this speed up construction timetables, it also cuts costs. FMGI, the contractor who has worked with the retail giant, says utilizing robots to print walls reduces construction costs by 15% and production times by 33%.

“This is what keeps me excited,” Darin Ross, president and CEO of FMGI, told Fast Company. “For 30 years, I’ve watched the construction industry just do it the same way over and over. We as an industry are way behind in adopting new technology and new ways of doing things.”

A special sort of printer

FMGI uses 3D printers made by Alquist, which spread layers of a concrete composite atop each other. The walls are secure but the machinery does require some fine tuning to work. These walls also can’t be printed in severe winds and the mix needs to be kept at a fairly high temperature to flow smoothly.

It’s a style of building that has a history of success in the residential space. Icon, an Austin-based construction firm, has used a printer of its own making (but the same construction method) to build 263 structures across the U.S. and Mexico. (Icon has also completed a hotel and has spoken with companies about constructing data centers.)

FMGI said it faced a learning curve when it shifted to 3D-printed construction for Walmart. The first job took 40 days to complete. The second, however, took just a week. Up next are a series of standalone fuel stations for the retailer and negotiations are underway to 3D print a 50,000 square foot grocery store. If that deal gets signed, it will become the largest 3D-printed building in the world.

Other trailblazers

Walmart might be leading the way in the retail space with 3D printed buildings, but as it ramps up construction using these methods, don’t be surprised if other retailers begin to follow suit — especially if the cost and time savings become glaringly obvious.

Other companies in other industries have experimented with 3D printing as well. SpaceX, for example, has used the technology on a pair of buildings on its campus in Texas.

3D printed buildings require fewer workers on site, which contributes to the savings, but those workers need to be specially trained to use the robotic equipment. New equipment is coming to market more regularly now as well. Icon, for instance, will roll out a new printer called Titan this year, which is designed for larger-scale projects.

“I think once that’s out in the world, showing what it can do, verifying the cost estimations that we’re making to customers, I think that’ll probably open a lot of people’s eyes,” Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO of Icon, told CNBC. “I think we should expect to see a lot of interest in alternative ways of construction, data centers and other kinds of commercial things as well.”