Abstract
Large-scale additive manufacturing for construction has gained momentum during the last two decades as a promising fabrication technology that can save materials, labor, and costs. Although foams are a significant material group in construction and explored in 3D printing (3DP) studies, no comprehensive review about this field exists to date. Consequently, the aim of this review is to define the field of foam 3DP (F3DP) in construction and provide an overview of relevant developments, challenges, and future research. Based on the analysis of more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and research reports, three major themes within the academic debate about F3DP could be identified: developments in material composition and material design, printing and processing technologies, and future challenges in application and material processing development. This review brings together promising advancements in F3DP for construction into a systematic overview and opens new horizons in research and development for sustainable construction processes.
Highlights
Large-scale additive manufacturing (AM) has become an increasingly researched field in architecture and construction engineering during the last two decades
This review addresses construction 3D printing (3DP) with another group of materials closely linked to sustainability in construction
The aim of this review is to define the field of construction 3DP with foams and collate related work, challenges, and developments that are significant for future research
Summary
Large-scale additive manufacturing (AM) has become an increasingly researched field in architecture and construction engineering during the last two decades. Various review articles systematically presented the state-of-the-art, challenges, and future developments in this novel area of research [1,2,3,4,5]. The motivation behind these research efforts are associated with the need for lean and sustainable construction, which refers to a more resource-efficient and environmental-friendly way of building [9]. Universal statements about the degree of sustainability of 3DP technologies are debated among scholars and accurate assessment frameworks thereof are not yet sufficiently developed [10]. The applicability of construction 3DP in large building projects, the life cycle performance of printed building elements and their actual demand in mass-customized production remains uncertain [4]
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