Unveiling the Printing Success of Concrete 3D Printed Models (2025-12)¶

The application of 3D concrete printing (3DCP) in construction carries a high risk of failure due to its complex printing process. The implementation of simulation in three-dimensional (3D) printing technology can effectively forecast printing behavior by considering various printing parameters. This study presents the application of Voxel Print plugin in Grasshopper (i.e., modeling software) for 3DCP simulation with Abaqus (i.e., FEM software) by incorporating material, printing, and model parameters to create the printing simulation. A total of eight parameters include the physical shape of model, (i.e. aspect ratio (Ar), height ratio (Hr), fillet radius (Fr)), printing process (i.e., nozzle diameter (ϕnozzle), printing speed (vprinting), layer height (hlayer), number of perimeters (Nperimeter)) and material properties of the mix. The custom-designed Design of Experiments (DoE) was used to study the effects of the various parameters. The Design of Experiments (DoE) prescribed a total of 56 simulation runs, in which the levels of the variables were predetermined. The maximum height of the successfully printed model and the deflection at the topmost printed layers were observed from simulation results. It was found that the experimental runs of taller models and models with sharp corners attained lower printing success. To improve the stability of such models, fillets could be applied by increasing the base aspect ratio and adding multiple wall perimeters. Results show that the 30 mm nozzle performed better than the 20 mm nozzle. Moreover, the material properties, particularly a steeper Young’s modulus curve, also impacted the process.