Anvendelsesområder for 3D-printing av betongkonstruksjoner

The intention of this master thesis is to investigate the application area for 3D printing of concrete in the construction industry and was written during the spring of 2022 at the University of Agder. 3D printing or "additive manufacturing" is a process that combines materials in liquid- or powder-form, where a printer produces the digital 3D model. Productivity in today's construction industry does not satisfy society's growing need for rapid completion of today's new buildings, and projects exceeding in time and cost is not uncommon. Through this work, the authors will investigate challenges and possibilities of various projects such as large-scale 3D printed concrete constructions on-site, as well as 3D printing of pre-produced concrete elements on-site or in the vicinity of the construction sites. The study will explore the methods for 3D-printing of concrete, associated design possibilities and the technology's economic and environmental aspects. The report is mainly based on a literature study, but qualitative interviews were also conducted for better insight into how 3D printing of concrete is used in the current construction industry and what the future potential is. The results indicated that 3D printing of concrete can streamline the construction industry through automation of manual work processes and reduce total construction time and labor compared to conventional construction methods. 3D printing of concrete strengthens the interaction with the BuildingInformationModeling (BIM) platform. It also turns out that printing large-scale concrete structures will reduce cold bridges. The area of application will depend on the type of construction, project characteristics, geographical location and the weather and climate environment. The use of 3D printing in the construction industry will provide greater freedom in the design and building of more geometrically complex constructions, as the printer is unaffected by the level of complexity of the design. The use of topology-optimized constructions will also create opportunities for slimmer and lighter constructions, as well as new economic and environmental savings compared to conventional construction methods. The technology also places different demands on concrete technology than that of conventional casting of concrete, and today's 3D printers mainly print smaller constructions up to a maximum of three floors. On the same note, this will also create substantial challenges regarding the design phase, standardization and implementation