3D Printing: The Future of Construction

It’s often claimed that 3D printing – known in the trade as “additive manufacturing” – will change the way we live. But it’s one thing to build small, prototype homes in a park – it’s quite another to successfully use additive manufacturing for large scale projects in the construction sector.

Additive manufacturing uses a combination of materials science, architecture and design, computation and robotics. Yet in some ways, it’s not as futuristic as it sounds. The simple approach of layer-wise construction – where building materials are layered on top of each other to create a facade – has already been practised for a long time in the construction sector, for example in conventional brick layering techniques.

The true novelty of additive manufacturing lies in its ability to combine new, highly efficient and sustainable materials with architectural design software and robotic technology, to automate and improve processes that have already been proven manually. In this sense, additive manufacturing holds many potentially groundbreaking benefits for the construction sector.



Why use 3D printing in construction?

Firstly, 3D printing concrete saves a lot of time. In particular, using these technologies potentially reduces a 2 week job to just 3-4 days. Moreover, this reduces risks of injury at work.
 Moreover, as 3D printers don’t need to eat or sleep, they don’t stop working until the project is finished. This greatly reduces waiting times.


What 3D printing processes in the construction sector?
1 – Robotic Arm Extruders

The Contour Crafting method involves the building material being deposited to create a large-scale 3D model with a smooth surface finish. Rails are installed around the building ground that will act as a structure to direct the robotic arm. It moves back and forth to extrude the concrete, layer-by-layer. Trowels placed on the side and above the nozzle to flatten the extruded layers and ensure the model’s strength.

In this process, conventional concrete cannot be used as it would need to harden before you could continue the process. If it was 3D printed it therefore wouldn’t be able to support its own weight. Therefore, concrete is used with quick setting properties.

2 – Sand layers linked together

Layers of sand are deposited according to the desired thickness before a print head pours droplets (the binder) to harden the sand. This 4 x 4 metre machine can create large structures of up to 6 cubic metres in size.

3 – Metal for solid structures

The robot was the result of collaboration with Air Liquide and ArcelorMittal and is equipped with a welder and a nozzle to weld, layer-by-layer, metal rods. This process is also compatible with other metal allows such as stainless steel, bronze, aluminium and Inconel. The machine can be likened to a sort of giant soldering iron.

Advantages of 3D printing in construction

1. Reduced Injury

2. Reduced Material Costs

3. Quicker Construction

4. New Markets

5. Cheaper Construction

6. Improved Form

7. Better Durability

8. Brand Improvement

These reasons (and many more) make it obvious why 3D printing can and has helped the construction industry move towards a cleaner, brighter future.