by Melissa Donovan
Additive manufacturing (AM) targets a number of sectors in the building and construction industry, including materials manufacturers, energy companies, and traditional construction firms. Additive solutions that utilize either metal or plastics are used depending on whether it is for a final part, prototype, or tooling. With multiple opportunities throughout the building and construction supply chain, three-dimensional (3D) printing is a growth area with high potential.
Above: The Meltio M600 wire laser metal 3D printer, with its built-in three-axis probing system and work-holding solutions, is the ideal companion for manufacturing operations.
Growth Opportunity
Building and construction is an interesting segment for 3D printing to tackle. It utilizes both metal and plastic printing depending on a job’s requirements. This creates opportunity for endless possibilities in engineering.
“There is significant scope for 3D printing in this market. Especially in buildings, street furniture, and the like, where a certain uniqueness is sought. 3D printing can be utilized effectively to create unique designs in small numbers. New technologies allow for larger objects and more durable materials,” explains Barry Schulte, director, Fiberneering.
According to a representative from ADDiTEC, “the construction and building segment presents a significant growth opportunity for 3D printing due to its unparalleled design flexibility, material versatility, cost efficiency, and sustainability.”
“We have seen an increase in the integration of 3D printing into multiple building and construction sectors. For example, 3D printing is used to produce critical components locally, reducing dependence on global supply chains,” shares Xavier Llobera, competitive intelligence WW manager/partner manager, HP Inc.
Growth is there, admits Ethan Rejto, director of marketing, Mantle, but it depends on the application. “3D printing needs to continue to be application-focused, targeting parts that have challenges—supply chain, cost, lead time, material, impossible geometry—where printing has proven to add value.”
Defining Verticals
Materials manufacturers, energy companies, and traditional construction firms use 3D printing technology to build warehouses, retail stores, commercial buildings, and much more. They are ideal candidates for AM.
One reason 3D printing is so alluring for companies like the ones referenced here is because they “have a history of not possessing the most sustainable of practices, resulting in industry-wide criticism. By placing a greater focus on 3D printing, these verticals can begin to change how their supply chains operate from the bottom up and introduce sustainable practices,” explains Llobera.
“3D printed materials have a minimal environmental impact when compared to traditional materials as the technology uses the least amount of material required to manufacture a specific part. These verticals are all known for constantly producing or needing to produce new materials, so by using 3D printing they can begin to negate that impact,” suggests Llobera.
The representative from ADDiTEC agrees that 3D printing helps minimize material waste, making it a more sustainable practice. In addition, the ability to print on demand is enticing, especially when printing metal parts.
“It allows for the creation of new metal parts with multi-material capabilities and the possibility to produce parts on demand for equipment used at construction sites, especially in remote areas where parts may not be widely available. It also offers the capability to repair broken metal parts on site without delays, which is a significant advantage given the extensive use of metal parts and tools in construction machinery,” explains the ADDiTEC representative.
Playing devil’s advocate, Schulte says that these verticals—materials manufacturers, energy companies, and traditional construction—have “a high level of technology demonstration around them, which is great and it is hugely beneficial to the industry that key players set up and take the initial risk. However, it is not a long lasting model.”
“In order to create a lasting market for 3D printing, the technology should be applied on its merits for end users having a certain view or requirement, which can sometimes be best met through 3D printing,” adds Schulte.
What’s Being Printed
Small parts, tooling, and prototypes are main categories in any vertical. The building and construction space is no different.
In general, “3D printing thrives in low-volume, high-value applications,” says Rejto.
“3D printing can be used for tooling to help workers during the construction process, as well as to develop structural components that are unique and require one-off, tailored manufacturing,” states Llobera.
One-off parts are more common. While production level creation isn’t quite there yet, we are constantly getting closer. “AM has evolved over the years and is used for a range of applications across several industries. From prototyping tooling, spare parts, repairs as well as fully printed serial production applications, end use products, and mass customization. On many levels, metal parts are now being printed. From small to very large parts, for various materials and in many different applications,” notes a representative from MX3D.
“The capabilities of 3D technologies are compatible for large-scale production needs as well as one-off applications. With 3D printing the possibilities are endless, with some companies leveraging the technology to print small, complex parts that are necessary for wider operations,” says Llobera.
What’s Printing It
3D plastics and metal printing are seen in the building and construction sector. There are a variety of AM methods being used, including liquid metal jetting (LMJ), laser directed energy deposition (LDED), and wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM).
Keeping in mind that certain technologies are better suited to specific components than others, ADDiTEC suggests LMJ and LDED.
“These advanced technologies enable production of a range of parts, from low melting point materials like aluminum to reactive metals like titanium. Faster lead times and lower costs for raw materials are achieved, all with fewer safety regulations, while maintaining the structural integrity of the parts. Additionally, these methods offer finer grain structures than traditional casting, ensuring superior quality and performance,” says the ADDiTEC representative.
Fiberneering offers a liquid resin-based technology it refers to as XXL-DLP. “In general, building and construction requires large parts, so any technology that can produce large parts with durable materials is suitable,” explains Schulte.
Material extrusion technologies are another option to consider in this space, according to Rejto. These include fused filament fabrication and fused deposition modeling.
MX3D has identified robotic WAAM as a key solution to current challenges in the architecture, engineering, and construction sector as it “gradually advances to become more automated, flexible, and sustainable.”
“In essence, MX3D controls welding robots to stack weld lines on top of each other to create new designs/parts. As WAAM is most interesting for medium to very large metal parts, it can achieve benefits such as print quality, high automation, and low costs, all of these benefits resonate well with the construction industry,” continues the representative from MX3D.
Some technologies are not a fit, according to Llobera. Polymer powder technologies and metal powder technologies are difficult to find in the building and construction space. Polymer resin technologies are also not used due to small part size and fragility.
Concrete Company
DED and wire laser metal 3D printing technology are also suggested for use in the building and construction sector, according to Meltio, a company that manufactures wire laser metal 3D printers. Its Meltio M600 wire-laser metal 3D printer was used to create a stainless steel nozzle that allowed a Spanish cement company, Cementos La Cruz, to manufacture more sustainable cement parts.
Cementos La Cruz focuses on the development of low carbon footprint cementitious materials to achieve sustainable construction. Its commitment to innovation is focused on the use of a circular economy and the development of technologies such as AM of concrete. At its 3DLAB the company develops 3D printing solutions for construction.
The AM process requires a high control of the material flow. The nozzle plays a decisive role in the quality of the layers and this requires a design that could only be produced by AM, which is why it turned to wire laser metal 3D printing solutions developed by Meltio to use a nozzle to optimize the quality of the layers and their deposition.
Now Cementos La Cruz is equipped to design parts that traditional manufacturing methods couldn’t produce thanks to Meltio’s technology. With the nozzle printed on the Meltio M600, it achieved the main advantage of using AM in the cement sector—the controlled deposition of the material producing a concrete part as it has been designed. In this way, Cementos La Cruz gains in construction control and digitalization.
Construction and Building
While not an industry vertical discussed in detail, the construction and building industry continues to present growth opportunities in relation to AM. To hear more from vendors mentioned in this article, visit industrialprintmagazine.com and tune in to our recent webinar on the same topic.
Sep2024, Industrial Print Magazine
