DR/ Ahmed Saleh /Engineering Research Journal 162 (June 2019) A1- A18

3D Printing in Architecture, Engineering and Construction

(Concrete 3D printing)

Dr. Ahmed Saleh Abd Elfatah

Assistant Professor at Faculty of Engineering, Helwan University
engasa@hotmail.com

ABSTRACT
One of the new developments in construction and architecture is 3D Printing
with a concrete-like material. This technique can create the opportunity for
personalization of large-scale projects for the lower and middle class since it
removes the restrictions on shape, that are present in the traditional way of building.
The technology also has shown potential in a wide range of disciplines, but the
building industry is still behind in the development of 3D printing.
The influence of 3D printing in building industry must not be underestimated as it
can reduce various determining factors such as the construction process, material
costs and the time span of the whole project. By studying new printable materials
and optimizing shapes including the typical properties of 3D printed concrete, the
potential of this promising technique can be realized in practice. This research
focuses on the background of this new technique, potential applications and future
of 3D Concrete Printing.
KEYWORDS: 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP), Additive manufacturing, Contour
Crafting (CC), Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC).
1. INTRODUCTION
Additive manufacturing is the new method of creating products from
materials such as plastic, sand, and other powdered materials. The process of
Additive manufacturing has been used since the mid-1960s and there have been
various improvements in terms of materials used in the process of additive
manufacturing. Additive manufacturing that is commonly known as 3D printing
nowadays has been very efficient in cost reduction of manufacturing and reduction
of waste in the process of manufacturing.
In this research, the methods and types of 3D printing and their feasibility in using
concrete as a material in the process of making 3D printed concrete products are
analysed. 3D printing has been one of the fastest growing technologies in the world
presently. The concept of 3D printing has evolved since the 1980s, but not many
researches have focused on the concrete 3D printing technologies. The advantages
of using concrete as a construction material are durability and it can withstand any
natural disasters such as rain, snow and wind and provide shelter to live in. Dr.
Behrokh Khoshnevis, a researcher from the University of Southern California,
developed a system called Contour Crafting (CC) in mid-2000s that paved the way
for the present day’s 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP). This Contour crafting has been

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adopted widely by various research institutes to produce massive 3D printed

structures. The use of CC in building industry can reduce the amount of physical
labour used for projects and reduce construction wastes as well. The efficiency of
3D printing concrete is described later in this research.
1.1.Research Aims
The main aim of this research is to evaluate the feasibility of concrete for 3D
printing, to emphasise the impact of this new technology for future construction and
to encourage the use of concrete in 3D printing thereby reducing costs of
construction and increasing the rate of productivity in construction industry.
2. Additive Manufacturing
Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a process in which three-dimensional
objects are made by adding layer-by-layer of material. The materials used can be
plastic, metal, concrete etc. The commonly used AM technologies include the use of
a computer, 3D modelling software [1]
(Computer Aided Design or CAD), machine
equipment and layering material . Once a CAD sketch is produced, the file is then
transferred to the AM equipment and the machine reads the data from the CAD file
and starts to lay down the material in layers on top of each other forming the object
in three dimensions. The materials used to create these objects can be powder,
liquid or sheet metal. The term Additive Manufacturing includes several
technologies that can produce similar objects rapidly such as Rapid Prototyping
(RP), Direct
[1]
Digital Manufacturing (DDM), Layered Manufacturing (LM) and 3D
printing .
2.1. 3D printing
3D printing is an additive manufacturing process of making three-
dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The materials used to produce the
object are different types of hard plastic, metal, concrete, carbon fibre, food
ingredients etc. The use of 3D printing has evolved in the recent years with the
technological advancement in engineering sector [2].
2.2. 3D printing in Architecture and Construction
3D printing architecture models have become an interesting alternative.
Typically, architectural models are made of cardboard, wood or other moldable
materials. Architects need models to study the aspects of their design. It is often
changed to get a perfect concept of their idea in both architectural design and
interior design. 3D printing at a construction scale will have a wide variety of
applications within the private, commercial, industrial and public sectors. Potential
advantages of these technologies include faster construction, lower labor costs,
increased complexity and/or accuracy, greater integration of function and less waste
produced. Several different approaches have been demonstrated to date which
include on-site and off-site fabrication of buildings and construction components,
3
using industrial robots, gantry systems and tethered autonomous vehicles [ ].
Demonstrations of construction 3D printing technologies to date have included
fabrication of housing, construction components (cladding and structural panels and
columns), bridges and civil infrastructure, artificial reefs, follies and sculptures. It

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might also enable construction to be undertaken in harsh or dangerous environments

not suitable for a human workforce such as in places with special conditions [4].
2.2.1. 3D printed buildings
A building consists of many parts, such as foundation, walls, windows and
doors, ceiling, roof, plumbing and wiring  and no company prints whole houses. In
construction industry, 3D printing can be used to create construction components or
to 'print' entire buildings, when we say, “to print a building,” we only mean printing
walls of a building, because the printer doesn’t yet participate in other processes
until now. Really, believe that 3D printing construction can heavily replace
traditional construction. Now, traditional stone construction of blocks and bricks is
the most threatened one. Materials used in printing buildings contain a mixture of
cement and sand, so a printed house is not different from a concrete house [5]. The
printer is just a way of laying down the material. The only difference is that the
printer is a machine or robot, an automated system that eliminates the human factor.
Therefore, concerns about the durability of printed houses are not justified.
2.2.2. 3D Printing in Interior Design
Many architects and interior designers are extensively using 3D printing to
create new and unique designs that give the overall ambience of a property with a
truly modern and cosmopolitan look. With new design flexibilities with 3D
printing, designers are now not constrained by any technical limitations for any
object. They use 3D printed organic vessels made of salt polymers to indoor, while
the exterior cladding is composed of polymer printed blocks (Fig. 1). They can
unleash the best of their creativity and make unique designs that were not
previously possible with conventional manufacturing techniques [6].

Fig. (1) Shows an interior space made of 3d printed mixture obtained by salt and glue constituting an
efficient, translucent and inexpensive material https://www.archdaily.com/890494/interior-design-and-3d-
printing-giving-unique-forms-to-functional-spaces
In fact, 3D printing also saves a lot of time as manufacturing a single part can be
done in a matter of hours against the days and weeks needed for traditional
methods. They no longer need to solely depend on whatever is available in the
market; these designers also have the freedom to let the clients choose the colour
and size of the product while keeping the design the same [5]. With easier access to
3D printing, architects and interior designers are not in need for searching for
completing their designs because material selection is slowly but surely becoming
an obligatory part of the interior designing process with using 3D printing.
2.2.3. 3D printed bridges

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The first pedestrian bridge printed in 3D in the world is in Spain. The 3D

printer used to build the footbridge was manufactured by D-Shape. The 3D printed
bridge reflects the complexities of nature’s forms. It was developed through
parametric design and computational design, which allows to optimize the
distribution of materials and allows to maximize the structural performance, being
able to dispose the material only where it is needed, with total freedom of forms [7].
The bridge has a total length of 12 meters and a width of 1.75 meters representing a
milestone for the construction sector at international level, as large-scale 3D
printing technology has been applied in this project for the first time in the field of
civil engineering in a public space (Fig. 2).

a b c
Fig. (2) (a) 3D printed bridge with the D-Shape technology. The first structure of this type in the world
[7]
, (b) 3D-printed steel bridge in the heart of Amsterdam 3D-printed steel bridge in the heart of Amster-
dam, (c) the first 3D-printed steel bridge. In 2015, Dutch 3D printing company MX3D [8].
2.2.4. Extraterrestrial printed structures
The printing of buildings has been proposed as a particularly useful
technology for constructing off-Earth habitats, such as habitats on the Moon or
Mars. As of 2013, the European Space Agency was using regular 3D printing
technology [8].
The architectural firm proposed a building-construction 3D-printer technology in
January 2013 that would use lunar regolith raw materials to produce lunar building
structures while using enclosed inflatable habitats for housing the human occupants
inside the hard shell printed lunar structures. Overall, these habitats would require
only ten percent of the structure mass to be transported from Earth, while using
local lunar materials for the other 90 percent of the structure mass [9].
2.3. 3D printing technology and materials
There are varieties of 3D printing materials used at construction scale. These
include the following main methods and materials: extrusion (concrete/cement, wax, foam,
and polymers), powder bonding (polymer bond, reactive bond, sintering) and additive
welding. Many different implementations, conditions and variants of buildings, in
particular the specific conditions of the construction site should be taken into account.
While designing a mortar mixture intended for use in 3D printing technology, it should be
noted that this mixture meets the accepted criteria and design assumptions. It is possible to
determine the principles, the composition of mortar mixtures and its required properties.
(Fig. 3) [10].
Material, designed and used in 3D printing technology for construction,
depends on three interpenetrating factors: raw materials, methods of application and
methods of production. While designing such a material, it is also necessary to pay
attention to the properties that the manufactured object must fulfil and that it is
possible to print by the given printer. The composition of the mixture is also
influenced by climatic conditions at the place of object's production, as they affect
its composition and maturing conditions [7].

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[ ]
Fig. 3 Building material composition for 3D printing and properties requirements 10
The time of achieving the given properties also affects the printing process; it
also depends on the method of material delivery and the time of applying
subsequent layers of building material [10]. Attention should be paid to such
parameters as: flowability of the mixture, extrudability, stability of the printed
shape, bonding time, and strength and shrinkage of concrete. The 3D printer
concrete is now the most common and testing for maximum utilization in
construction industry. So, the more materials used in construction industry are, the
more common is a concrete composite. The 3D printing construction company
CyBe uses a specially designed mortar that sets within three minutes of being
printed and dries in one hour. Many companies currently use or are developing a
concrete mix made with recycled materials. Construction company Cazza's mix is
made from up to 80 percent recycled material [4].
3. Concrete 3D printing
The steps of 3D printing an object with concrete consists of three steps:
preparation of data, preparation of concrete mix and printing of the object. In the
data preparation stage, the spatial model of the object to be printed is created in
CAD format. The object is then sliced into layers using one of the slicing softwares.
The software creates a plan for the 3D printer for laying the concrete in layer-by-
layer form. The next stage is the preparation of the concrete mix and management
of feeding of concrete to the 3D printer (Fig. 4). (The mixture is automated and
flows into the printer continuously) [11].
At the third stage, the concrete mixture is pressed out of the printer through

Fig. 4 Concrete 3D printing process & Concrete extrusion process

[11]
the nozzle and placed in layers. The concrete flows through the nozzle of the printer
on a prescribed path programmed by the user to the 3D printer. This path is pro-
grammed accordingly so that the printer lays the concrete in layer-by-layer fashion,
forming a real three-dimensional object from the digital model [11]. The workability of
the concrete plays a vital role in this stage of the printing. The workability is responsible
for both the extrudability and buildability aspects of concrete.

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3.1.Concrete 3D printers
Concrete 3D printing could be used in many ways in construction industry. One
option is to print elements in the factory, and then they are transported to construction sites
and assembled. Another option is to set up the printer on a construction site where the
structure is printed in elements on the site and assembled together, or directly print the
structure on site. Two types of printers are currently in use in the industry. The first type is
a framed printer. This kind of printer would fit only in factories because it is very difficult
to transport and assemble this kind of printers (Fig. 5). The disadvantage of this printer is
that the frame of the printer must be larger than the structure itself. The larger frame makes
the printer expensive and difficult to transport and assemble. [12]
The second type of printer is a non-framed concrete printer. It is a robotic printing arm
mounted on a vehicle. This kind of printer can be easily transported and does not require
flat ground, unlike the framed printer (Fig. 6). This kind of non-framed 3D printer is used
by CyBe constructions in the Netherlands [13].

Fig. 5 Framed concrete 3D printers Source: Fig. 6 Non-framed concrete 3D printers

https://www.tue.nl/en/university/departments/built- Source: https://3dprint.com/189228/cazza-3d-print-
environment/research/research-programs/structural- construction-robots/
design/research/research-areas/concrete-research-
areas/3d-
Traditional methods vs 3D printing

The illustration above shows clearly the various stages of construction of a structure
according to the traditional techniques. They involve human resources in different
locations of the structure. Thus, they are time-consuming and expensive. The 3D printer on
the other hand shows how the printer is both a tool and a manufacturer [4]. The less
involvement of the user in the printing process, the
smoother the process is automated.
3.2. Parameters affecting 3DCP
As summarised in (Fig. 8), the printing process is
affected by a multitude of parameters. The three main
categories are the computer-aided design, printing
process and material behaviour. These categories have
a significant influence on one another [14].
Fig. 8 [Parameters affecting concrete
printing 4]
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3.2.1. Computer-aided design for 3D printing

The typical workflow of concrete 3D printing starts with CAD modelling of
the object to be manufactured, as illustrated in (Fig. 9). Next, the CAD model is
exported to a conventional 3D data format, typically a STL file format. The STL
file is then sliced via software and converted to a machine-readable language before
being input to the printer. The printer then proceeds to manufacture the desired 3D
object. It is important to consider the physical process of 3D printing and its
limitations, which are not evident during the computer-aided design process [15]. For
example, the design process should also consider the printer speed, nozzle
dimensions, layer thickness, material behaviour and the extrusion capacity of the

[15]
Fig. 9 Modelling workflow of concrete 3D printing .
pump.

3.2.2. Printing process

The physical printing process is subject to a
multitude of parameters, namely the print speed,
filament extrusion rate, nozzle dimensions, the
printing path, filament height and print height.
The quality of the end product, produced
through the concrete printing process, is Filament height
[ ]
height (H) 16 .
(h0), layer height (Ln) and print

strongly correlated to the effective

control of these parameters [16].
3.2.3. Material behaviour
The fresh state material behaviour of
printable concrete influences its extrudability,
buildability, pumpability, stiffness and strength.
Figure no. 10 illustrates where these properties come
into play throughout the concrete printing system [17].
The fresh state material behaviour is currently a
focus point in concrete printing research. Various
studies report a trial and error methodology to
determine the optimum printable concrete mix Fig. 10 Material behavior affecting
concrete printing [14].
composition. However, none report the use of coarse
aggregate for printable concrete [14]. Typically, the particle sizes are limited to less
than 2 mm.

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3.3.Challenges of concrete printing

Concrete printing and other AM processes still have a multitude of
challenges to overcome, before they are adopted for widespread use. This includes
accurate material delivery and placement, in addition to control and measurement of
material phase transitioning, from its fresh state to hardened state. Furthermore, the
layering of concrete could cause the formation of "cold joints" which refer to
insufficient bonding between layers reducing structural strength, in turn. The
inclusion of steel or fiber reinforcement is another matter requiring attention, as is
the surface finish of the product [18]. Moreover, standardized requirements,
benchmarks and testing procedures are yet to be developed to validate the safe and
sustainable use of concrete printing as a construction method. The following key
properties of concrete need improvement in order to successfully 3D print concrete
structures:
 Extrudability.
 Flowability.
 Buildability.
 Open time and
 Contact between Fig. 11 (a) Increased surface area of rectangular nozzle compared to circular;
[ ]
(b) Increased number of adjacent layers; (c) Supporting cellular structure 18 .
layers

4. 3D Construction Printing: a worldwide overview

Several research groups of research organizations are involved in the
development of large-scale 3D printers for the construction industry. The
technologies developed differ in terms of printing techniques and materials. The
Concept of three-dimensional (3D) printing of concrete has been experimented
since the mid 1990's. The generically name 3D Concrete Printing varies with
various research groups and enterprises around the world. The projects presented
below are experimental and commercial projects that are ongoing on 3D Concrete
Printing (3DCP) by various production units and academic institutions around the
globe. Tables no. (1, 2, 3, and 4) show the above according to the following factors:
 Printer Type: Powder bed or layer by layer
 Movements: Typical movement systems for the printhead
 Location: In SITU or off site
 The Printed Object: Load bearing or Hollow
 Other printer types/technologies

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Table. 1 3D Construction Printing a Worldwide overview (researcher)

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Table. 2 3D Construction Printing a Worldwide overview (researcher)

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Table. 3 3D Construction Printing: a Worldwide overview

(researcher)

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5. Costs and Benefits of Concrete 3D Printing in Construction Industry

5.1. 3D Construction Wall Printing Calculator
Since every 3D printing technology makes use of a different material, there
are many categories and price ranges. It’s hard to give an exact price of a 3D printed
building in 2018, as the price depends on the structure’s size and complexity. As
time progresses, more and more companies will adopt 3D printed buildings. This,
combined with developing technologies, will bring prices down and quality up. In
addition, that’s great news if it means more access to safe, affordable shelter for
those in need. Table.4 shows a formula that will calculate the cost, time and
material usage for a 3D construction wall project, based on 12 input factors.
5.1.1. Cost calculation in 3D printing vs the Traditional methods (per m3 concrete)
The BOD, which is short for “Building on Demand” is named precisely so to
underline that with 3D printing technology applied for building projects, the building
process is automatized and the borders for what can be made are hereby expanded.
Even if the BOD is less than a 50 sqm building, it is still large enough to illustrate
some of the economic and architectural advantages of applying 3D printing
technology to constructions. With traditional building techniques, any shape that is
organic or not straight is a challenge, technically as well as with respect to costs. The
BOD does not contain any straight walls, the only straight elements being the
windows and doors.
Fig. 12 The BOD is a
small 3D printed office
hotel of less than 50
square meters located in
Copenhagen’s
Nordhavn
https://cobod.com/the-
bod/

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Fig. 12 A Stages of implementation of the BOD Project by COBOD for 3D construction printers
and automated processes for the building site. https://cobod.com/the-bod/

Table. 5 3D Construction Printing: A Worldwide overview (researcher)

Cost calculation in 3D printing for BOD project Traditional

methods

2600 L.E

4 m3

2200 LE.

10400 LE.
12600 LE.

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Table (5) illustrates that the cost of BOD project increases by 20% vs. Traditional
methods. This increase represented at the trained labor rather than materials used.
As 3d printing needs double the cost of labor used in traditional method. This
percentage varies according to standards, concrete, the height of the building, and
quantities of concrete (the last 2 elements represents the main elements affecting the
cost)
N.B: This illustration concerns the application of 3D Printing in Egypt; Given that
although labors numbers are reduced, but their costs increase because they are specialized
technical workers
5.2. Advantages and Disadvantages of 3D Printing Technology
3D printed buildings can easily lay structures using curvilinear forms instead
of typical rectilinear forms which makes them a lot more durable. Structures walls
are normally hollowed out to allow for utility lines to pass-through and reduce the
amount of materials used. Less material not only adds to the durability but also
saves a ton of money on the construction costs for the architects and contractors
using 3D printing. While the benefits are endless there are still quite a few hurdles
holding back this technology. Let’s get into the Advantages and Disadvantages of
3D printed construction [19].
5.2.1. Advantages of 3D Printed Construction
Reduced Construction Waste. Using 3D printed construction for architectural projects is
more environmentally friendly. While using very little energy the printed
construction will 20
only generate about 30% of the waste that a normal construction
project produces [ ].
Increased Design Shapes. 3D printing can create design shapes and customization
that isn’t possible or would be super expensive if done by regular construction.
Printers can precisely place small amounts of concrete exactly where needed for
complex shapes greatly enhancing an architect’s design possibilities.
Reduced Construction Time. Using a 3D printer to complete a building project
can massively reduce the construction period.
Lower Construction Costs. 3D printed buildings have much lower building costs
than those built with traditional methods because of the reductions in raw material
and more importantly labour. An architectural projects labour costs can be reduced
by up to 80% by having most construction completed by 3D printers.
5.2.2. Disadvantages of 3D Printed Construction
Building Codes. There are no regulations or processes to get 3D printed buildings
approved for residential or commercial use. The government would first need to
come up with standards that must be followed as far as electrical, plumbing,
structural integrity and public safety codes.
Material Types. The material that can be delivered from the printer head is pretty
much limited to just concrete and plastics.
Engineering Compatibility. Very few architects and engineers have took interest
in 3D printed buildings. The additional capabilities that come with the new
technology are not being used during the design phase. Traditional blueprints are
not compatible for use with a 3D printer, so the entire design process needs to be
handled differently.
3D Printing Technology is Expensive. 3D printing equipment and materials cost
make the technology expensive. Industrial grade 3D printers are still expensive
costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, which makes the initial expenses of using

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the technology very high. For a single machine, capital investment starts in the tens
of thousands of dollars and can increase to as high as hundreds of thousands of
dollars
3D Printers Aren’t that User-friendly. Because of the excitement and potential
around 3D printing technology, 3D printers have come across as easy to use and
sound more useful than they really are.
Manufacturing Job Losses. 3D printing technology can make product designs and
prototypes in a matter of hours as it uses only one single step. It eliminates a lot of
stages that are used in subtractive manufacturing. As a result, it doesn’t require a lot
of labor cost. As such, adopting 3D printing may decrease manufacturing jobs. For
countries that rely on many low skill jobs, the decline in manufacturing jobs could
dramatically affect the economy.
5.3. applying three-dimensional concrete wall printing technology in Egypt
The traditional construction approach in Egypt has numerous drawbacks.
This is evident in the lengthy time frame, the large number of used labour, a high
percentage of error and long-distance transportation. All these issues lead to adverse
environmental impact and increased construction cost. Such downsides can be
addressed efficiently by the rising new technology of Three-dimensional printing
Therefore, it will be used SWOT analysis for the application of the 3DP technology
in Egypt, and its impact on the Egyptian market with identify the problems and
challenges of applying this technology to the Egyptian domestic market.
5.3.1. Possibilities
Discussions suggest that the efficiency of construction time may be key to the
emergence of this technology in the Egyptian context, but the type and size of the
building are important factors to be considered. Thus, it can be argued that 3DP
technology may succeed in mass production projects as well as large buildings with
limited floors. Has the potential for rapid production and quality, which may
compensate for the low quality of work currently experienced among working
labor. In addition, the application of this technology will provide an opportunity to
regain control in the hands of certified architects, resulting in better internal
environmental quality and energy performance in the construction industry in
Egypt. Moreover, changing the current building standard in Egypt may improve
architectural identity and enhance the final roles of architects in the construction
industry.
5.3.2. Challenges
The expected challenges to the application of this technology are associated
with the cost; noting that comparing brick price (used for typical wall construction)
to the cost of reinforced concrete could reach ¼ and ½ if compared to plain concrete
(which should be used for 3DP). More challenges are related to the lack of practical
knowledge, lack of scientific knowledge, industry/ society rejection of the norm
changing methods as well as the lack of stakeholders’ interest, trained workforce
and cost of importing. as well challenges facing the automated construction systems

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in Egypt, such as lift slab, slip forms ...etc. An additional consideration is related to
modification limitations because the design flexibility is limited because of working
according to predefined models. It is also impossible to accept any change orders
during construction; hence design modifications are not possible. Also,
modifications during operation are not possible. Other considerations are related to
the costly expenses of durability and maintenance procedures. Moreover, the main
concern is that 3Dp technology is imported rather than capacity-building, which
Table. 6 SWOT analysis for the application of the 3DP technology in Egypt
Internal factors
Strengths (S) Weaknesses (W)
 Time reduction  High capital cost
 Increased precision  Expertise needed
 Longer operational schedule  Risk factor elevated
 Reduces construction waste  Less awareness
 Minimizes transportation cost  Less incentives
 Better control of the construction  difficult to find skilled labour
 Design freedom (complexity is  3D Printing Technology is
free) Expensive
 Lower cost/higher productivity  Building Codes
 Zero mistakes  not printing horizontal structures
 Better safety  Limited height and large size
 No added cost for complexity buildings
External factors
Opportunities (o) Threats (T)
 Applying BIM integrated  Reducing job opportunities
technologies  use of this advanced technology
 workshops and seminars to might lead to small companies
prepare workers to cope with the diminishing.
changes in work routine and learn  I believe that clients would be
new skills. reluctant to use this technology
 current workforce would oppose
such paradigm shift in construction
will greatly increase cost.

Accordingly, a SWOT analysis is developed to define external and internal

factors that affect the widespread application of this technology in the national con-
text. The former factors are attributed to strengths and weakness of the technology
itself, while the latter represent external factors that may be considered as opportu-
nities or threats of applying this technology in the local construction market.
As a result, 3D printing technology has opened new possibilities for
industries by enabling faster product design, customization, cost reduction, tangible
product testing, and more. However, 3D printing technology has a dark side and is
not always the right choice for product development for your development project.
3D machines are still potentially hazardous and wasteful. Moreover, their economic,
political, societal, and environmental impacts have not been extensively studied.

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6. Conclusion
The 3D printing technology has rapidly changed the views on using concrete
as a 3D printable material alone. The requirements and challenges in adopting
concrete to 3D printing have been discussed. 3D printing technique for cementitious
material is a promising method that may revolutionize the traditional building and
construction processes in terms of apparent benefits in low-cost, high-efficient
automatic construction, architectural design freedom, and reduction of labor
requirements and risks during construction. This paper has discussed the different
types of 3D printing system that are available commercially in terms of their general
benefits and drawbacks. The types of 3D printing concrete technologies, research
and commercial projects that have practiced the technologies have been listed. The
various possibilities of using concrete as a 3D printable material and future of this
technology has been analyzed. Large-scale 3D printing processes of cementitious
materials are reviewed. They have the potential to reshape the way we think about
architectural buildings. However, 3D printing technology still faces certain
challenges associated with mechanical strength, reinforcement, curing, durability
and correlation properties like flowability, extrudability and buildability. It is a great
challenge to study printable cementitious materials compatible with 3D printers.
However, the technology needs more resources to develop faster. The truth
behind the 3D construction printing projects is that none of the completed projects
has been competitive so far. There might have been some saving in labor costs and
materials, but overall it has not been competitive to the traditional methods of
construction. It is evident that many companies and academia are interested in the
3D concrete printing technology, but there is a lot to be learned on this subject in
the near future. The phase of scientific advancement in technology has risen in the
past few decades from mobile phones to artificial intelligence. Therefore, the future
holds good promises for 3D Concrete Printing.
6.1. Recommendations
 Increased cooperation with academia for insights in new and improved
3D concrete printing technologies.
 Increased cooperation with conventional suppliers to support the
development of concrete 3D printing.
 Capital and Investments in concrete 3D printing projects should
increase with rising popularity of this technology.
 Integrating reinforcements in the 3D printed structure to build high-rise
buildings in the future.
 Usage of recycled materials should be increased to build
environmentally friendly structures.
 The trends of using concrete 3D printing will increase in the field of
architecture for its versatile nature for complex designs.
 through BIM software. This could allow a greater control over all
phases of the project, from concept to engineering, with tighter control
of time and cost, as well as fewer unforeseen and varied workloads.
 Strategic Implications for Stakeholders As this evolution proceeds, the
construction industry will be transformed.
 Companies and governments would do well to prepare for this
transformation and to influence it as far as possible to their own.

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 DR/ Ahmed Saleh /Engineering Research Journal 162 (June 2019) A18- A18

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