DENVER - Gene Eidelman, CEO of Azure Printed Homes, said he's been eyeing an expansion in Colorado for years.
"100 years ago, we had a horse in the buggy, and we had a carpenter with a hammer and the nail," Eidelman said. "100 years later, with EV vehicles, and we still have a carpenter with a hammer and the nail. So it's time for our industry to change."
▶️ WATCH: 3D home printing factory opens in Denver
What's going on inside Azure's new Denver factory is quite a bit different than the typical outdoor concrete 3D home printing, which can fall victim to weather delays.
This 3D printing happens inside, and uses plastic pellets made from recycled bottles.
The mix of fiberglass and plastic "is harder than cement," Eidelman said.
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"The units are beautifully insulated," he said.
Before the expansion in Colorado, the company had made a name for itself when it launched several years ago in California.
"We're rebuilding homes burned in fires in Palisades and Pasadena," Eidelman said.
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He said their main mission is to help end homelessness.
In San Louis Obispo, Azure worked with the community there and recently printed several homes for people who were experiencing homelessness.
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"People need to have dignity and have a place where they can put their life together," he said.
Colorado state leaders partnered to help Azure expand here.
The company received a $3.895 million loan from Colorado's Affordable Housing Financing Fund, made possible by the voter-approved Proposition 123, which created the state's affordable housing fund.
"Colorado is leading the way to build more housing that people can afford, and an important part of that is investing in innovative and lower-cost construction methods," Gov. Jared Polis said. "There is no silver bullet solution to address our housing shortage, which is why we are looking at every innovative solution to build more homes and save people money. When at full capacity this new Azure Printed Homes Facility will support 50 good-paying jobs and help Colorado build more homes people can afford."
The company is capable of printing ADUs and multi-family housing with some homes as low as $50,000.
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