Omits entire first year along with a string of events that have changed the course of developing the half million dollar project
The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board was given a presentation by Community College staff at its February 21, 2023, meeting about the purchase and incredible unanticipated problems associated with the expenditure of half million dollars in January 2020 for two 3D cement home printers. When purchased, most assumed the College had conducted a thorough due diligence review that persuaded its leaders that the two printers were immediately fit for the purposes the College had in mind for them. Otherwise, who can explain the College District Governing Board authorizing such an expensive project in the January 2020 secret executive session? However, things went south once the printers showed up, so to speak, pretty fast and in a big and bad way.
Since the authorization three years ago, it appears that the problems in terms of useability for the College’s intended purpose quickly reached a point where the original machines were considered essentially scrap, and the Community College staff set off on a highly technical time-consuming research adventure to try and salvage the project by replacing the purchased 3D cement printers with two of their own creation. It apparently received no refund on its original printers. Moreover, according to Dean John Morgan, the seller stood by its warranties.
In addition to the College’s decision to sideline the original 3D cement printers and build its own, it also appears that CTEC faculty became entangled in complex technical issues that needed extraordinary amounts of staff time and effort to figure out. The Community College 3D cement printer project morphed into a University-like research project as everyone struggled with the technology and chemistry associated with discovering the appropriate cement compounds to use in the machines along with a host of other technical problems involving such things as proper hoses and future robotic arms. At some point in the entire process, the College sought help from a consultant or two who jumped in to provide solutions to problems faced by the Community College.
Promises, or at least strong suggestions, given by Community College about testing the machine in the summer of 2020 failed to materialize. For example, the Governing Board was told in March 2020 that the College intended to test the newly purchased machines that summer by replacing a dilapidated manufactured home at the Chino Valley Center with a new cement home. That never happened. In fact, after three years of struggle, there has yet to be a single completed building at the Chino Valley Center or anywhere else where the College machines have been used.
It’s hard to sort out the level of due diligence the College carried out before the decision to spend this half million was made or to sort out how much additional costs have been incurred in terms of staff time and other resources to try and salvage the project. Unfortunately, the District Governing Board appears less than adequate to deal with a situation like this. And also appears less than knowledgeable with the exception of Representative Ray Sigafoos.
The report to the Governing Board in February 21 was relatively short (26 minutes) and left out important dates and significant details about the project. To the surprise of viewers with actual knowledge of the history of the project, the timeline presented to the District Governing Board by the College omitted an entire year.
To review the actual timeline and related events surrounding the printers for Blog readers, the Blog has created a timeline based on Governing Board minutes and videos involving the half million dollar project. A reader may to compare the Governing Board timeline with that created by the Blog. The Blog has added a series of notes to its timeline.
TIMELINE PRESENTED BY COLLEGE TO DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD
Timeline regarding 3D printers cement printers project provided Governing Board on February 23, 2023 by Yavapai Community College staff.
BLOG CREATED TIMELINE BELOW
- Fall, winter 2019: [NOT MENTIONED AT FEB 21, 2023 MTG] During the fall and winter of 2019, members of the Community College’s leadership visited facilities in Utah where the 3D cement machines were manufactured. As far as the Blog can tell, the College did not involve Governing Board members, hire consultants, or otherwise establish a committee of experts to carefully look into the prospect of purchasing the 3D cement printers before encouraging the Governing Board to spend the half million dollars for them. From the outside, there appeared to be some kind of low level of secrecy attached to the project that would carry into the decision to call an executive session in January 2020. Recall executive sessions are by nature secret. The public had to assume, without knowledge of anything, that the College had had conducted a due diligence investigation in 2019 and thoroughly and thoughtfully weighed all the pros and cons before deciding to purchase the machines. The College seemed admit to the Governing Board that it know the 3D cement printer concept was in its infancy when it began tinkering with it.
- January 27, 2020: [NOT MENTIONED AT FEB 21, 2023 MTG] An executives session was hurriedly called for January 27, 2020 . The session was for reasons only known by the College held in secret. Why the possible purchase of these machines and the possible use of them at the College was not discussed openly in public remains a mystery. After the secret executive session, the Governing Board issued a short statement declaring it was amending the 2019-2020 budget to appropriate a half million dollars “for equipment for the 3D construction program.” Normally, budgets are presented to the public in May where the public may ask questions and make comments before the budget is approved. The January 2020 amended budget process followed by the Board did not resemble anything like the normal open budget discussion process followed each May.
- March 3, 2020. [NOT MENTIONED FEB 21, 2023, MTG] Because of questions coming to the Governing Board from the public about the half million dollar expenditure, the Community College provided the Governing Board with a short report in March 2020. The report was delivered by the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Diane Ryan, who was subbing for the person apparently most responsible for the project, Dean John Morgan. Ryan obviously believed the printers would arrive shortly that spring and would be ready for use in teaching 3D construction. She explained to the Board that the College was in the process of preparing a curriculum, the printers used concrete from Home Depot, the printers could use different mixes, and training to operate them will be available at CTEC at the Prescott airport and on the Verde Campus in Clarkdale. She noted that because the printers require a certain high level of expertise, the College would most likely be adding a CAD course to the curriculum. The goal was to attract a “whole new group” of students to the College for training. Because the College anticipated receiving the printers ready for use, she said a printer would be tested in the summer of 2020 at the Chino Valley Center where an “old manufactured home needs replacing.” Finally, Dr. Ryan explained to the Board that the College had been told the technology could “shave the cost” of building a home by 40% to 70%. She noted the College in the long term would be looking for a partner to work with it so students could go to where the partner was building a cement home and learn on the job how it was done. (You may view Dr. Ryan’s March 3, 2020, full report to the District Governing Board by clicking here.
- December 2020. [NOT MENTIONED AT FEB 21, 2023 MTG] The Blog accidentally discovered in the December 2020 while reading the Community College’s Facilities Management Newsletter that the Community College administration had decided to construct up to three houses to showcase the ability of its recently purchased 3D concrete printers. To accomplish this, the College was laying out the slab areas and preparing to run utility lines to them. The housing project was located at the Chino Valley Center. (Click here to see Newsletter referenced above.) There was no information provided by the College to the public or the Governing Board in 2020 explaining why the anticipated summer test of the printers at the Chino Valley Center had not taken place or that the printers had not arrived (assuming the timeline presented to the Governing Board on February 21, 2023 is correct.) There was likewise no explanation given in 2020 for the sudden decision to build three homes at the Chino Valley Center.
- January 2021: First Mudbot printer purchased by the College arrives (30’ by 30’). This is the first reference in the Community College timeline about this project provided the Governing Board at its February 21, 2023, meeting. The Board did not receive at the recent meeting any explanation regarding why it took so long to finally obtain the first printer. This was one year after the Governing Board approved the purchase.
- January 12, 2021. Community College CTEC Dean John Morgan informed the Governing Board at this meeting that it has found a partner by the name of “Arizona Custom Concrete Homes” to work with it. The Blog notes that this is a different name than the one he told the Board was the College’s partner at the February 21, 2021, meeting. At that meeting Morgan said the partner was Verde Valley Reprint Homes. Whether the actual partner changed in two years or the partner changed its name in two years or Dean Morgan was mistaken in using the names remains a mystery. No one on the Governing Board asked a question about the difference at the February 21 meeting, which given the Board’s lack of knowledge and attention to the project is not that unusual. Dean Morgan outlined a number of problems the project was facing including along with other information. He said: (a) There had been some kind of delay in the project because of an insurance issue. (b) One machine was set up in the CTEC building, the other was outside to eventually be used to print houses on the Verde Valley Campus in the summer (2021). It is unclear what he meant by this statement referring to printing homes at the Verde Valley Campus. (c) College is conducting experiments at CTEC to discover the proper mix to use with the 3D concrete printers. (d) College is having a difficult time because so much of information about the mix is proprietary and will not be shared. (e) Partner wants to test the feasibility of building a concrete home with the Community College “before buying a machine” that could construct one.” (f) Community College hopes to recoup a portion of its $500,000 investment by sharing patent rights with its partner and selling the patented formula for the concrete mix that is developed to willing buyers. Dean Morgan indicated to the Governing Board at the February 21, 2023 meeting that the idea of patenting the mix has apparently vanished. To his credit, District one Representative Ray Sigafoos specifically pursued the potential recovery of money spent on the project via a patent at the February 21, 2023 meeting, which led to the revelation that the College no longer was seeking a way to recoup any of the half millions it has so far put into the project. Dean Morgan also informed the Board that (See video clip of this meeting by clicking here.) https://app.screencast.com/QKk7yDh0iEPVR
- July 2021: Second Mudbot printer arrives over a year and a half late (10’ x 10’). No explanation has been given to the Governing Board or public about an apparent one-year plus delay.
- Fall 2021. Independent study class started to test-run the program. (Note that in March 2020 the College indicated to the Governing Board it was designing a curriculum for the project.)
- Spring 2022. 1st class in nation to teach 3D Concrete Printing started. (Placed in timeline prepared by College and provided to Board at its February 21, 2023 meeting.)
- Summer 2022. 1st Ruffbot printer is manufactured by Yavapai Community College to replace the Mudbot printers that were apparently not fit for the purposes for which the College intended. (15’ x 15’). The purchased machines were deemed insufficient for whatever future use the College had in store for them. The additional costs associated with this development in terms of staff time and materials has never been disclosed to the Governing Board or the public.
- Fall 2022: 2nd Ruffbot printer manufactured by Yavapai Community college to replace original Mudbot printers. (50’ x 50’). Both originally machines were apparently deemed insufficient for whatever future use the College had in store for them. The additional costs associated with developing this much larger machine (with the originals now sidelined) in terms of staff time and materials has never been disclosed to the Governing Board or the public.
- October 18, 2022. [NOT MENTIONED FEB 21, 2023 MTG] Dean Morgan briefly reported to Governing Board the following. (a) The project has been a “journey.” Been one of the more challenging parts of Dean Morgan’s career. (b) Now faces new problem of concrete shortage. Local builders are allotted what they can get in a week. (c) The College had to completely rebuilt both machines. There is no serious pursuit by the Governing Board about why the College rebuilt its machine or the time and material cost associated with the Or, whether the original machines were not fit for the purpose the College had in mind or whether the College just made a huge mistake when it originally purchased the two machines. (d) College “conceded” (unclear what this means) its pad at the Chino Valley Center several months ago to its partner because the College needed something to come out of the ground and be successful. (e ) Partner is on third attempt to build a home. (f) Project has been delayed on several fronts. (g) Partner has had a steep learning curve. (h) Steep learning curve necessary and it will take persons who can operate hi-tech equipment to operate 3D home printers. (i) One machine set up in CTEC building, the other outside to be eventually used to print houses in Verde this summer. (j) Partner is Verde Valley Reprint Homes. (New name?) (k) Going to Verde Campus in summer of 2023 to teach program on using machines. (l) Cautioned that College has lay people it is training who have never constructed a house and learning curve is relatively steep. (m) Costs of printing concrete homes will come down. (n) College is trying to learn how to print roofs. (o) College will stay in the 1500 or less square foot homes because that is what YCC’s printers can handle. (p) There has not been a committee working to look into all the ideas since it began. (q) College goal is to shoot for attainable housing; not affordable housing. (r) Administration looking at 700 sq ft. houses. You may view this report by clicking here.
- February 21, 2023. Dean Morgan again reports to the Governing Board about the project. He tells the Board essentially the following: (a) Because everything regarding the proper mix to use in the 3D cement printers is proprietary and no one will share the information with the College, CTEC has become a research laboratory like that of a university. (b) The College’s partner is “Reprint.” (c) Early on the College saw it could build “attainable houses.” As 3D cement printing machines progressed they were getting better and better all the time. After using the original machines for a while, the College felt it had enough expertise to building its own. (d) Dean Morgan agrees with Representative Ray Sigafoos that the half million dollars bought the Community College an entrance into 3D Printer technology and adds that it has learned a lot. (e ) Manufacturing company that sold original 3D printers stood by its warranties. (f) Couldn’t have built the College’s two replacement machines without the knowledge learned from the original purchase. (g) Community College has entered into a 3D cement printer consortium with several universities. (h) Expects one Chino Center house to be constructed by partner using partners own 3D cement printer by spring 2023. (i) Expects to build tiny homes on Verde Campus in summer 2023 (according to slide College produced). (j) Continues to test different hydrations, admixtures and colorants. (j) Talking with Diamond D Printing in Casa Grande for possible future assistance; Diamon has already constructed 14 homes and is building 250 concrete home subdivision but Diamond is proprietary about the cement mix it is using. (k) College does not anticipate any patents on its mix—will share information about its mix with public. (l) About 20 students have taken instruction on the machines since 2020. (m) College was a little bit ahead of the curve when purchasing the machines, got caught up in Covid, but is now on schedule. It has been a tremendous learning curve. (n) College anticipates using its own inhouse experts on robots to create robotic arms that will be used in 3D printers like those now being used in the industry. (o) Students have learned how to build the machines and will have a handle on them. (p) Third party purchasers often don’t know how to fix them—believes students will be able to do this. (q) Partner purchased different 3d cement printing machines and manufacturer of those machines is here now because Partner is struggling with some issues. (r) Deferred question about future plan for College to use machines to the administration. (s) Suggested that if the College didn’t do something, no one was going to solve “this problem.” (t) At the front end, the College was philosophically committed to plug the machines in and go. All that changed.
- You may view the 26 minute presentation to the Board on February 21, 2023, by clicking here.