3D Printed Formwork for Concrete: State-of-the-Art, Opportunities, Challenges, and Applications

Abstract

Concrete is the most used human-made material in the world, and it is responsible for around 8% of the total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Hence, efficient concrete construction methods are one of the main foci of research in architecture, civil engineering, and material science. One recent development that promises to achieve this goal is the use of digital fabrication for building components. Most investigations focus on direct extrusion 3D printing with concrete, which has already been covered in several review articles. Conversely, this article reviews a different approach, which focuses on the indirect digital fabrication of concrete through 3D printed formworks. This approach is under investigation for structural and nonstructural, as well as for onand off-site applications, with a number of projects having already been built, but a comprehensive review of 3D printed formworks has not yet been compiled to synthesize the findings. This article provides a comprehensive map of the state-of-the-art of five different 3D printing technologies used for the fabrication of formworks so far. The aim is to serve as a fundamental reference for future research, provide a basis for consistent language in this field, and support the development of construction standards. The article further discusses the new geometric possibilities with 3D printed formworks and their potential for making concrete construction more sustainable. In addition, the opportunities and challenges of 3D printed formworks are evaluated in the context of other traditional and digital fabrication tools. A synthetic classification in five functional typologies is proposed and illustrated with 30 representative case studies. Finally, the article concludes with a brief reflection on the role of 3D printing in the broader context of formwork innovation and a possible outlook for this technology.

Robotic 3D Printing of Mineral Foam for a Lightweight Composite Concrete Slab

“…Additive manufacturing (AM) in construction has changed these sustainability relationships because complex shapes can be manufactured without moulds, production-specific tooling, and additional workforce. Thus, several studies used AM techniques to produce the formwork for innovative, material-efficient, lightweight concrete slabs (Jipa and Dillenburger 2021;Hansemann et al 2021).…”

Proceedings of the 27th Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) [Volume 2]

“…Third, an UHPFRC mix was used for the casting with the formulation and mixing procedure described in (Jipa and Dillenburger 2021). The concrete was prepared in 30 l batches and gradually filled into the formwork with a team of 6 people.…”

Automatisierte Bauteilzerlegung für Betonfertigteile aus additiv hergestellten Schalungen

“…Dieses Ungleichgewicht zwischen der Kostenverteilung der temporären Schalung und der permanenten Betonstruktur führt zu einer paradoxen Herangehensweise an das Entwerfen und Bauen mit Beton. Um den Bauprozess möglichst günstig und schnell zu gestalten, folgen Betonelemente oft dem formalen Diktat einer einfachen Schalung, wodurch mehr Beton als nötig verwendet wird, aber die tatsächlichen Kosten der gebauten Struktur durch die Einfachheit der Schalung reduziert werden [4]. Dieses Paradoxon ist nicht nur bei der Verwendung von Beton auf der Baustelle selbst, sondern auch in der Vorfertigung zu erkennen.…”