3D Printing

Posted: August 26th, 2021

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3D Printing

Abstract

3D technology had advanced at an exponential rate since its invention in the year 1984 by Charles Hull when he created the idea of using ultra-violet (U.V.) light to strengthen tabletops’coatings. Initially, it was complicated and expensive, but it is currently present in everyday life, and technology is now adopted in all sectors of the industry. The improvement of 3D technology and printing materials has become the core objective of many companies in the world in various sectors. In the year 2014, the major innovation was made in the construction and building industry as the first three-dimension household was printed in building technology. 3D is an advancing technology adopted in civil engineering, especially in massive buildings and bridges that require extensive labor. Hence,3D structures are layered structures where units are installed as pieces and attached using a mortar.

Introduction

Three-dimensional printing, commonly known as 3D, refers to a manufacturing practice which produces layers in building three-dimensional concrete objects from digital models. 3D offers an opportunity for mass customization of complex shapes that cannot be produced using an alternative method. The need for related labor costs,production tools, plus reduced waste streams is excluded by using the technology. Due to its numerous advantages, the technology is rapidly adopted in various construction industries, such as aerospace, medical, and automotive.  3D automated and accelerated development is also utilized in civil structures such as buildings and bridges that require extensive labor. Furthermore, the correct three-dimensional structural printing implementation considerably leads to a reduction in the construction duration and also saves on costs. Nonetheless, the 3D civil structures are usually large scale, characterized by great heights or lengths, unlike as exhibited in other types of construction applications.It results in the civil structures to be subjected to multi-layered loadings that contain seismic, gravity, and wind. Therefore, suitable printing tools and resources should be developed and employed to achieve the required structures.

            Consequently, 3D in civil structures is at its early development stages as there are limited three dimensional printed buildings. The fundamental objective of this paper is to explore the applicability of 3D printing in civil structures. The first section is devoted to evaluating 3D in various areas, such as three dimensional printed buildings and the weakness as well as the opportunity of three-dimension printing in civil engineering based on the state of arts. In conclusion, the future dimensions and directions of 3D in civil engineering will also be analyzed.

Literature Review

General Discussion of 3D Printing

3D has been adopted in different industries and is rapidly being accepted in civil engineering. Architectural modeling is among the main areas where 3D is used to develop prototypes that communicate between the client and the architect. An architect can print complex structures, color them, and present them as three dimensions to the client for better clarity (Lee et al., 15). Furlow establishes that 3D is occasionally adopted in the medical field to enhance the creation of high-quality bone transplants and modeling of the damaged bones as wellto improvefracture analysis. Moreover,3D applications are also useful for printingcomplex shapes utilized in coronary bypass surgery (Furlow, 520). These include human tissues and artificial blood vessels. In most cases nowadays, several dentists have adopted3Dtechnologies to create a plastering model for replacingthe patient’s teeth or treating the soled mouth (Lian et al., 1).  According to a study conducted by Skawiński, three-dimensional printing is used in the aerospace industry to print airfoils and to model aircraft in aeronautical engineering. In the automotive industry, the technology is used in the manufacture of the automobile deck part when making locomotives.

Focused Discussion of How 3D Printing Affects Construction Operations and Processes 

Wu et al. conducted a study that pointed out that the construction industry’s significant problems are difficulties in applying control in construction sites, low labor productivity as compared to computerized machines, more accident rates among the laborers, and low quality work from inadequately skilled workforces. Applying 3D or automation can limit these problems in the construction industry that started in the form of robotics (Wu et al., 25). Siddika et al. conducted a study on construction technologies as developed by the Freeform Construction technique. According to the research, it was noted that the freeform construction ismeant for the approachesused for delivering large-scale construction components, in the cases where the construction sites do not utilize formworks. The researchers noted that freeform fabrication is useful in providing the freedom that will be useful in selecting the desired geometry that will result in more improved performances than the traditional methods and also reduce the construction costs. The study is also supported by Ma et al., who confirm the growing application of freeform technologies in the construction sector.Thus, the freeform construction techniques are currently used in Contour Crafting in the USA, concrete printing in the U.K, and D-shape in Italy. 

Equally, Bos et al. introduced the concept of contour crafting (CC), which became an efficient technique in 3D printing of houses. Skawiński definedcontour crafting as an automated for of afabricated technology that uses computer controls toexploit superior surface-forming troweling capabilities. These capabilities are then adopted in generating smooth and accurate planar free-form surfaces. Equally, contour crafting is used two trowels for creating solid planar surfaces in the external edges(Skawiński 114). In this case, the filler materials such as concrete are further poured in the constructed surfaces to fill up extruded areas. They can be implemented in building civil engineering structures as well. Afterward, reinforcement is added to enable plastering and further tiling of the surface. Therefore, this helps enhance and strengthen the supportive capability of concrete, enable plumbing and installation of the electrical units, among other finishing activities.

            Moreover, a study conducted by Ngo et al. established an optimization method for contour crafting machines to construct complicated large-scale structures effectively. In this case, this research was undertaken extensively to help avoid the collisions that are prominent in multiple nozzle building structures. As such, three methods were compared, namely; pathscycling, blend of paths cycling, and zones against auxiliary buffer zones. In their conclusion, it was found out that combining buffer zones and paths cycling provides the desired optimization for civil engineers(Teizer et al.). Therefore, the review observed that adopting the CC method in civil constructions is substantially faster than the traditional methods. Hence, the implementation of contour crafting in a multi-story building is now possible through climbing.

            According to Teizer et al., the construction sectors globally consume more than forty percent of aggregate, raw materials employed. 3D in construction of structures can reduce the wastage of raw materials from seven tons during the development of houses of a single-family to none. Also, the speed of constructioncan be easily improved,thereby building one house in a single day. Therefore, the capability to use this technology in the complex as well, luxury structures is inadequate. Yet, implementing 3D printing could assist in constructing emergency shelters and low-income structures.

Hence, despite the numerous advantages of 3D in civil engineering, there are some limitations. Ngo et al. noted that the technique requires many steps such as molding, reinforcement installation, and concrete placement in constructing layers of up to twenty meters high. Besides, the printing is left to be part of the wall. These limitations have resulted in the development of another freeform construction system known as Concrete Printing. The method is similar to 3D technology, though the concrete printings equipment has dimensions of 5.4meters by 4.4 meters(footprint) by 5.4 meters (height). Also, the printing head moves on portable beams and has a nozzle of 9mm held by the printing head, thus giving the extrusion of the material.

            Notwithstanding, three dimensional printed houses provide cheaper and more efficient homes to low-income earners. The 3D houses comprises of various printed parts joined together to construct a house. As such, the technology can help complete the construction process within 24-hours for a single. Conversely, no details are evident about the plumbing and wiring of 3D printing that has been provided to date. WinSun Company in China developed a five-story apartment using 3D (Wu, 25). The company indicated that the houses fully complied with the applicable national standards that overcome the major issue in 3D printed homes. Thus, the WinSun Company made a 3D for a decorated house that can be adopted in non-conventional structures.

In a similar case, DUS Architecture Company in Dutch-designed facades using 3D that was incorporated with solar panels to produce energy requirements. The solar panels locating position was optimized automatically for any position, thus eliminating mold manufacturing in every area (Ma, 480).Equally, Shimizu Corporation, located in Japan, used 3D technology to develop an automated system for assembling steel-frames, positioning concrete floor planks, and fixing interior and also exterior wall sections (Ma, 480). At the same time, Nematollahi et al. concluded that 3D in civil engineering should optimize strength before manufacturing, save materials in mass production, and create complex concrete structures increasing construction speed. Therefore, the proper utilization of technology produces less waste without using labor-intensive molding.

Challenges of using 3D technology in civil engineering

Wu further noted some issues that slow down the adoption of three dimensions in the building industry. These include automated fabrication not being appropriate in large-scale productions and conservative design approaches.  Hence, 3D uses only limited material in the expensive computerized machines, making them economically unfeasible.

Conclusion

3D printing is a promising and fantastic feat in technology and civil engineering as it allows people to think of a model and machine physically making the final structure. Though 3D technologies are still in the early development phase, it will change the landscape of how we do and see things in the future. The technology is critical in facilitating communication among the designers in the construction industry, who are involved in creating prototypes. Besides, it is an effective method when acquired in developing in a high-stress environment performance testing and the end-user application. Hence, 3D printing is an essential technology for civil structures, especially with complex shapes. The reason is that rubber is easily printed and used as a shock absorber in large-scale structures, thereby reducing effects from the seismic. Additionally, 3D printing technologies are environmentally friendly, have fewer fatalities in construction sites, and give unlimited possibilities in geometric complexity realizations in civil engineering. However, further studies should be made on the connection of 3D in civil engineering on column-footing, beam-column, and wall connections.

Works Cited

Bryant. “Medical 3-D printing.” Radiologic technology 88.5 (2017): 519CT-537CT.

Bos, Freek, et al. “Additive manufacturing of concrete in construction: potentials and challenges of 3D concrete printing.” Virtual and Physical Prototyping 11.3 (2016): 209-225.

Lee, Matthew, et al. “Evaluating 3D-printed models of coronary anomalies: a survey among clinicians and researchers at a university hospital in the U.K.” BMJ Open 9.3 (2019): e025227.

Lin, Liwei, et al. “3D Printing and Digital Processing Techniques in Dentistry: A Review of Literature.” Advanced Engineering Materials 21.6 (2019): 1801013.

Ma, GuoWei, Li Wang, and Yang Ju. “State-of-the-art of 3D printing technology of cementitious material—An emerging technique for construction.” Science China Technological                         Sciences 61.4 (2018): 475-495.

Nematollahi, Behzad, Ming Xia, and Jay Sanjayan. “Current progress of 3D concrete printing technologies.” ISARC. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction. Vol. 34. IAARC Publications, 2017.

Ngo, Tuan D., et al. “Additive manufacturing (3D printing): A review of materials, methods, applications, and challenges.” Composites Part B: Engineering 143 (2018): 172-196.

Skawiński, Igor, and Tomasz Goetzendorf-Grabowski. “FDM 3D printing method utility assessment in small R.C. aircraft design.” Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology (2019).

Teizer, Jochen, et al. “Large scale 3D printing of complex geometric shapes in construction.” ISARC. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction. Vol. 33. IAARC Publications, 2016.

Wu, Peng, Jun Wang, and Xiangyu Wang. “A critical review of the use of 3-D printing in the construction industry.” Automation in Construction 68 (2016): 21-31.