3D Printing for Construction (2023-04)¶

In the last decade, interest in digital fabrication, specifically 3D printing, has grown rapidly. The potential to reduce construction waste by up to 60%, labor cost by more than 50%, and construction time by up to 70% when compared to the traditional system is part of the industry’s strong interest in the technology [18]. Although the construction industry is known to be slow to implement new technologies [9, 10], there is an awareness that digitization will transform AEC [21]. The concept of automation with the use of information technology seeks to characterize the greatest advances in the production of consumer goods and technologies as a new level of control and organization for the life cycle of products, taking into account the specificities of consumers. The fourth industrial revolution, as it is also known, encompasses artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data, augmented and virtual reality, cybersecurity, simulation, autonomous systems, and cloud information [22]. With the integration of these tools, digital manufacturing becomes possible, which transforms and improves the entire production chain from the operation, service, design, and organization of the final product, increasing its quality and improving its performance by reducing waste and production time [2]. Currently, the digitization of construction is growing and already presents initiatives with advanced aspects and technologies, which include industrial production such as prefabrication, automation, and 3D printing. In the perception of the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry as an integrative system, digitization should be treated as a process that organizes a constructive chain, from the design, manufacture, maintenance, and use of buildings. In this sense, robotics has been seen as a powerful alternative to be applied in the replacement of labor in repetitive or hazardous stages in construction [4]. Although the difference between the manufacturing and construction industry has been accentuated in recent decades, with a productivity of 34% in the entire process against 27% in civil construction, industrial growth and the results achieved by the manufacturing sector present civil construction alternatives to leverage business models and the production chain for more efficient and integrative techniques [15, 19]. In this way, it is understood that a systematic review can collaborate to understand the panorama of 3D printing today and highlight possible gaps for further studies. Therefore, the objective of this research is to provide an analysis of the advances in the sector, allowing for evaluating the applications and components that encompass 3D printing in industry and construction 4.0.