FEATURE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING/3D PRINTING
Robotic 3D printing offers a solution to
some of the biggest challenges facing the construction industry today, as Julian Ware, UK & Ireland sales manager for
ABB Robotics, explains
instance, it can be used as a substitute for construction sand in cement mixes. Taken together, the sustainability
BUILDING ON THE
BENEFITS OF ROBOTIC 3D PRINTING
I
ndustry forecasts for the total value of the global construction industry predict it will rise by 85% to $15.5 trillion by 2030*. Despite
this, construction firms are being impacted by several megatrends, each of which present major challenges for the industry. First, existing labour shortages – both
skilled and unskilled – look set to get much worse. In research carried out for ABB in 2021, nine out of 10 construction businesses predicted a skills crisis by 2030. Second, the pressure to improve sustainability and support a circular economy will mean overhauling every aspect of the construction process, as well as producing buildings that are much more energy efficient throughout their lifetimes. Third, people are increasingly looking
for housing solutions that can be easily customised to meet their needs, in much the same way as vehicles and many consumer goods already are. This has only really been possible in individual, high-end projects before now, but mass customisation is the goal.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ROBOTIC AUTOMATION Recognising that robotic automation will play a key role, more than 80% of construction businesses say they are looking to introduce or increase their use of robotics and automation in the next ten years. Robots are expected to make a growing contribution in a range of areas, such as the fabrication of modular homes and building components offsite, for example, as well as robotic welding and materials handling onsite.
The widespread deployment of robotic 3D printing technology promises to be especially game changing. It’s relatively early days, but robots have already been used to 3D print buildings in concrete on site, including a two-story admin building in Dubai and Europe’s first legally habitable 3D-printed house in the Netherlands. 3D concrete printing enables complex shapes to be produced in-situ. It reduces
“Robots have already been used to 3D print buildings in concrete on site”
energy consumption compared to conventional manufacturing – in which materials and /or structures must be prefabricated – as well as reducing waste. In addition to typically being faster and cheaper, 3D printing offers more freedom in terms of shape and form, and makes it easier to incorporate functional elements into the overall structure from the start. This added freedom means that buildings can often be made stronger without the need to increase structural density, reducing the total amount of material and the weight in the final structure. 3D printing can also increase circularity and
sustainability by reusing by-products from other industries including fly ash and slag from the coal and steel industries, glass and plastic as building materials. Where recycled glass is available, for
42 DESIGN SOLUTIONS NOVEMBER 2024
advantages of 3D printing and the wider improvements in health and safety that robotic automation typically delivers will enhance the reputation of construction companies as responsible actors and good employers.
DESIGN EXCELLENCE Even before construction begins, 3D printing can already be useful at the design stage, where architects rely on proof-of-concept models to demonstrate the viability and effectiveness of different shapes, surfaces and facades before moving to full construction. This ability to demonstrate alternative methods of design and construction is proving to be a major asset for architectural practices when advocating new approaches to building companies. For example, Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), which is globally renowned for designing large- scale, curvaceous masterpieces, has embraced the use of 3D printing to help translate its ideas into physical structures.
BUILDING ROBUST SOLUTIONS While the importance of using robots off-site as part of a modular construction approach should not be underestimated, the full potential of 3D robotic printing will only be realised if robots can be reliably deployed onsite. Compared to the consistent and controllable environments that can be achieved in offsite manufacturing facilities, building sites present a number of challenges for the design and application of robots: rough, uneven surfaces, obstacles and moving hazards, and even the weather. To counter this, robot manufacturers,
research institutions and specialist systems integrators are all working together to develop robust solutions, including techniques such as factory-based assembly, that will promote the safe, reliable deployment of robots in construction applications. As the need to embrace robotic automation
becomes greater, it will provide growing incentives to find new solutions and drive greater innovation throughout the construction industry.
ABB
new.abb.com *The Global Construction 2030 report
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