Applications of Additive Manufacturing in the Construction Industry – A Prospective Review

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, produces components by building-up structures from small deposits of materials. Many of the early applications of AM technologies have been in the aerospace, automotive, and healthcare industries. Building on the advances in AM in these industries, there are several experimental applications of AM in the construction sector. Early investigations suggest that use of AM technologies for construction have the potential to decrease labour costs, reduce material waste, and create customized complex geometries that are difficult to achieve using conventional construction techniques. However, these initial investigations do not cover the full range of potential applications for construction or exploit the rapidly maturing AM technologies for a variety of material types. This paper provides an up-to-date review of AM as it relates to the construction industry, identifies the trend of AM processes and materials being used, discusses related methods of implementing AM, and potential advancements in applications of AM. Examples of potential advancements in methods and applications include multi-material use (e.g., use of high-performance materials only in areas where they are needed), in-situ repair in locations that are difficult or dangerous for humans to access, disaster relief construction in areas with limited construction workforce and material resources, structural and non-structural elements with optimized topologies, and customized parts of high value. AM's future in the construction industry is promising, but interdisciplinary research is still needed to provide new materials, new processes, faster printing, quality assurance, and data on mechanical properties before AM can realize its full potential in infrastructure construction.

Understanding the key takeaway of construction robots towards construction automation

“…The additive manufacturing (3D printing) of large-scale structures could be one of the iconic beginning of current advanced robotic technology (Khoshnevis, 2004). Particularly, the motivation of additive manufacturing involved reducing the utilization of formwork and easing the task of producing flexible and complex architectural forms (Delgado Camacho et al, 2018). The existing issues identified in published literature concentrates on cementitious material extrusion and material mechanical performance (Delgado Camacho et al, 2018).…”

“…Particularly, the motivation of additive manufacturing involved reducing the utilization of formwork and easing the task of producing flexible and complex architectural forms (Delgado Camacho et al, 2018). The existing issues identified in published literature concentrates on cementitious material extrusion and material mechanical performance (Delgado Camacho et al, 2018). Exoskeleton as assistive wearable robotics received increasing attention in construction due to its successful utilization in the medical and military field (Wang et al, 2017).…”

Insights into New Trends and Contemporary Challenges in 3D Printing in Architectural Sector

“…Her research group, Mediated Matter, focuses on the intersection of design, biology and material science. One of the projects undertaken by Mediated Matter is Fiberbots, which serves as a platform for digitally designing and fabricating large-scale structures with high spatial resolution [28]. Fiberbot works with fiber-reinforced composite materials like carbon fiber and fiberglass, aiming to fashion lightweight, robust, and adaptable building components (Fig.…”

Conceptual design for an additively manufactured building brick

“…Among the several advantages that AM offers, one can mention that complex shapes can be generated, with geometric freedom and a high degree of detail, in addition to achieving a high degree of automation, reducing the need for human intervention in processes, costs, investment times and associated risks [15]. Therefore, AM has the potential to reduce the waste of materials, reduce the labor time of the workers associated with the project and reduce the time associated with the manufacturing process, improving sustainability in construction [3], [16]- [22].…”