A Review on ۳D Printing Technology: Focusing on Thin-shell Formwork

Concrete is the most used human-made material in the world, and it is responsible for around ۸% of the total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Hence, efficient concrete construction methods are one of the main foci of research in architecture, civil engineering, and material science. One recent development that promises to achieve this goal is the use of digital fabrication for building components. Most investigations focus on direct extrusion ۳D printing with concrete, which has already been covered in several review articles. Conversely, this article reviews a different approach, which focuses on the indirect digital fabrication of concrete through ۳D printed formworks. This approach is under investigation for structural and nonstructural, as well as for on and off-site applications, with a number of projects having already been built, but a comprehensive review of ۳D printed formworks has not yet been compiled to synthesize the findings. This article provides a comprehensive map of the state-of-the-art of ۳D printing technologies used for the fabrication of formworks so far. The aim is to serve as a fundamental reference for future research, provide a basis for consistent language in this field, and support the development of construction standards. The article further discusses the new geometric possibilities with ۳D printed formworks and their potential for making concrete construction more sustainable. Finally, the article concludes with a brief reflection on the role of ۳D printing in the broader context of formwork innovation and a possible outlook for this technology.

Keywords:

۳D Printing , Concrete , Thin-Shell Formwork , Additive Manufacturing