3D printing in construction: state of the art and applications

Abstract

3D printing is an emerging technology that revolutionizes the traditional construction industry. Although it has gained wide attention, implementing the state of the art of 3D printing in construction has remained limited. Since the technology has been developing very fast and many innovations have been made public by nonacademic sources, excluding them would inevitably result in an incomplete picture. Therefore, in this review, we aimed to fill this gap by including all the construction 3D printing projects and studies performed from nonacademic sources as well as academic articles. Apart from evaluating the current progress, we also examined the readiness of 3D printing applications in construction, both from technical and nontechnical aspects. As reflected by various printing products and applications, this technology can offer much for the construction industry. However, the current printing technology cannot yet produce products for the construction sector due to limited printing materials, methods, and systems. Many projects have been performed by self-developed printing setups, which are technically similar. In addition, the impacts of the technology have never been quantified. Researchers and practitioners dive into technological developments without knowing whether they would bring benefits to the construction industry. Whether following this new trend and reinventing 3D printing setups a waste of resources remains a question. For its applications in construction, more government support and official national and international building codes can be expected.