First 3D-printed Starbucks coffee shop opens tomorrow in Texas

The first 3D-printed Starbucks in the U.S. is opening in Brownsville, Texas. From tomorrow, the new Cobod BOD2 printed concrete fabricated Starbucks will be open for both in-person pickup and drive-through orders. Germany's Peri 3D Construction is behind the building project, which began late 2024.

3D printing technology for construction projects is some distance from our usual coverage of the hardware used to realize 3D digital files in the real-world. Unlike the best 3D printers we have looked at, the Peri 3D Construction BOD2's output material is similar to cement, rather than a plastic. Construction 3D printing is also done at a very large scale, and in this case, by a robot.

The new 3D-printed Starbucks in Brownsville isn't going to be a very large store, relatively speaking. In fact, its 1,400 sq ft shell is just enough for a mobile order pick up desk and drive-through coffee shop – no indoor seating. It would seem from the signage that there is no in-person walk-in order system.

According to Cobod, there have been more than 50 BOD2 printers delivered worldwide in the last three years. So, don't be surprised if you see this style of construction in a location near to where you live. As well as commercial premises, these devices are in use by house builders, smart buildings suppliers, academic institutions, and material manufacturers worldwide.

Printing at these larger scales also seems to lack the refinement offered by the best desktop style 3D printers you usually see reviewed on Tom's Hardware. You don't have to look very closely at the photos of the new Starbucks to see significant stepping in the finish. It looks like the material continues to flow a little, sometime after being applied, layer-by-layer. There are also highly visible misalignments and joins in parts of the building.

Some of the previous larger scale 3D printing projects we have reported on include coverage of the largest consumer 3D printer currently on the market – with an 800 x 800 x 1000mm build volume. Also, we enjoyed reporting on a YouTuber DIYing a 3D printer with a build volume of 1110 x 1110 x 2005mm just to make a life-size 3D model of himself...

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