In the particular context of 3D printing, construction could be explained as processes which involve the application of technologies usually involved in the building of structures using 3D printing. This includes the gradual accumulation of layers of material like concrete or any composite material, by using a model that has been designed digitally. This makes the method accurate, efficient as well as being versatile to enable the proodi of designs that might be hard or would take a long time to design using common construction practices.
History of 3D Printing in Construction
As for the history of 3D printing in construction, it does not have a long history, but it is developing very actively and fast. It was about at 2003 to give way to AM when manufacturing and prototyping hinged on 3D printing. The first major breakthrough came in the year 2004 when Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California introduced the Contour Crafting 3D printing technology whose specialty was construction of buildings. This particular development paved way to more advancement in modern technology corrections.
The Future of 3D Printing in Construction
As for the future hiring in construction 3D Printing has even more potential developments which can be imagined which clearly depicts a brighter future. Here are some anticipated developments:
Increased Adoption: As the above illustrates, the use of this technology is observed to extend to the residential, commercial as well as the industrial sections since the devices, that are incorporated in the system, are now expensive and easily accessible.
Advanced Materials: In the present research work some efforts are also being made to select new material that are strong, hard wearing and eco-friendly. These improvements will make new possibilities in the implementing of the 3D printing in constructions.
Integration with Other Technologies: We found that technological fields such as, 3D printing in combination with other technologies like AI/Robotics, or IoT will advance the level of automation in construction activities.
Large-Scale Projects: Such large scenes as bridges, multilayer construction, infrastructures and many others and even more in the process of increase can be designed through 3D printing.
Customization and Personalization: Among the factors present in the building and construction will be the use and customisation of buildings to people’s uses and preferences more.
Examples of 3D Printing in Construction
There great innovations have been developed in construction by applying 3D printing in construction at different parts of the world. Here are a few notable examples:
The Apis Cor House in Russia: Currently in 2017, Apis Cor, the company from Russia attempted to build a small house within a single day through the use of 3D printer. This project demonstrated the possibilities of rather fast and cheap construction in fascination.
Dubai’s 3D-Printed Office: Today Dubai has the only 3D-Printed actual Office Building throughout the entire world. Built in 2016, it literally does took 17 days to print and two additional days to construct.
ICON’s 3D-Printed Homes in Mexico: In 2019 an American construction technology company known as ICON powered by New Story, a non-profit organization to print homes for low-income families within Mexico. Altogether, this project proved that the usage of 3D printing in construction has a number of humanitarian aspects to offer.
The Concept of 3D Printing in Construction
The origin of 3D printing in construction is based on the automation in construction with the aim of increasing the productivity and decreasing costs in construction works while allowing the construction of any architectural shape. Hence, the 3D printers can place layers of material using the computer aided design CAD models to structure the required objects. This reduces the chances of human interferences while at the same time enhancing on adaptability.
Advantages of 3D Printing in Construction
3D printing in construction offers numerous advantages that make it an attractive option for modern building projects:
Speed:
Another advantage is the speed of construction which is relatively fast and a possible downside is the cost which can can be relatively high. Buildings that perhaps may be constructed for months may be constructed in days or even hours.
Cost-Effectiveness:
3D printing is less expensive when it comes to labor and cost of the materials used in construction thus the cost of construction can be reduced when 3D printing is adopted.
Design Flexibility:
3D printing enables the designer to put extremely complex designs on an object that would otherwise be very tricky to make by using regular techniques.
Sustainability:
That means one can use environmental friendly material in construction and avoid many wastages hence promoting construction sustainability.
Precision and Quality:
In construction, 3D printing offers accuracy and repetitiveness hence producing structures that are of high quality physical construction.
Conclusion
Applying 3D printing in construction is not dreaming about the future anymore but a phenomenon that has occurred in the construction business. They include speed, cost, flexibility of designs, sustainable, and accuracy making 3D printing a promising tool in construction in the future. Thus, one can assume that further advancement of new technologies will allow technicians to introduce even more creative solutions and produce greater changes in the built environment. This wave of construction is gradually making its way and the buildings are being constructed literally layer by layer.
Thus, analyzing the general concept of construction 3D printing, knowing its history, examples of its use, benefits and perspective, it is possible to estimate the changes that concern this sphere. Inspiring construction sector, architects or just knowledgeable person who is interested in innovative technologies, it is impossible to remain indifferent to the prospects of three-dimensional construction printing.
