Out-Of-The-Box Products for the Contractors

From building houses with 3D printers to dually-like tires for excavators, the construction industry is experiencing technological advances like never before. This week's Super Six takes a look at some of the latest "out of the box" products for the contractor's tool kit.

• A Chinese engineering firm claims it built 10 houses in less than 24 hours last year using a 3D printer. Constructiondive.com reports on a five-story apartment building on display next to a 1,100-square-meter mansion—also created on a 3D printer—in Suzhou Industrial Park in Jiangsu province. The apartment building reportedly took a day to print and five days to assemble. 

• While construction professionals are certainly more knowledgeable about the importance of tires than the average consumer, many would probably be surprised by the level of resources committed to research and development by the world's major off-highway tire manufacturers. Equipment World magazine reports on a good example of this at this week's Intermat show by us -- dually-like solutions for wheeled excavators and forestry machines. 

• Equipment World also reviews the new Lemur BlueDriver which claims to turn your smartphone or tablet into a $3,000 scan tool for $100. The industry magazine weighs in on whether the Lemur BlueDriver is more gimmick or the real deal. 

• Roads & Bridges magazine discusses how Murphy Concrete and Construction in Appleton, Wis., is using the Vista system by Viewpoint to make rapid assignments and schedule upcoming maintenance to prevent project delays. 

• Caterpillar’s chief technology officer, Gwenne Henricks, is interviewed by Construction Equipment magazine on the opening of the company's Innovations Lab at the University of Illinois in Champaign and how she expects the Innovations Lab to address customer needs.

• Construction Executive profiles some of the latest cloud-based tools for general contractors to communicate and manage punch lists with their subcontractors.