Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies are transforming the design and manufacture of components and products across many disciplines, but their application in the construction industry is still limited. Material deposition processes can achieve infinite geometries. They have advanced from rapid prototyping and model-scale markets to applications in the fabrication of functional products, large objects, and the construction of full-scale buildings. Many international projects have been realised in recent years, and the construction industry is beginning to make use of such dynamic technologies. Advantages of integrating 3D printing with house construction are significant. They include the capacity for mass customisation of designs and parameters to meet functional and aesthetic purposes, the reduction in construction waste from highly precise placement of materials, and the use of recycled waste products in layer deposition materials. With the ultimate goal of improving construction efficiency and decreasing building costs, the researchers applied Strand 7 Finite Element Analysis software to a numerical model designed for 3D printing a cement mix that incorporates the recycled waste product high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The result: construction of an arched, truss-like roof was found to be structurally feasible in the absence of steel reinforcements, and lab-sized prototypes were manufactured according to the numerical model with 3D printing technology. 3D printing technologies can now be customised to building construction. This paper discusses the applications, advantages, limitations, and future directions of this innovative and viable solution to affordable housing construction.
Highlights
Buildings 2018, 8, 165; doi:10.3390/buildings8110165 www.mdpi.com/journal/buildingsBuildings 2018, 8, 165 technologies [1,2,3]
This paper aims to demonstrate that the combination of highly efficient materials with recycled waste products, in the formation of structural housing elements, is desirable, saving construction companies costs while protecting the environment by introducing waste solutions
Bracing members that are available in the developed numerical models
Summary
Buildings 2018, 8, 165; doi:10.3390/buildings8110165 www.mdpi.com/journal/buildingsBuildings 2018, 8, 165 technologies [1,2,3]. (e.g., extrusion, jetting, sheet lamination, and photopolymerisation) are used to fabricate light-weight and large-scale composite products that combine polymers and fillers (e.g., carbon fibre, glass, CNTs (Carbon nanotubes), etc.) [6,7,8]. These are highly efficient for manufacturing, and minimise both costs and waste. There exist a variety of automated additive manufacturing methods but, among them, 3D inkjet printing has proved to be highly efficient It draws from different computer-design morphologies (e.g., 2D or 3D), offers a continuous extrusion process, and has the capacity to cure areas designed in polymer/filler suspension. It has applications in other branches of production, and the manufacturing of acoustic and vibration products
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