3D Light on Site – Bringing Concrete Print to the Construction Site

Rapid advances in 3D concrete printing (3DCP) aim to address climate change by minimizing material use. This study presents an ongoing in-situ workflow for the additive manufacturing of concrete walls. The collaboration between the Universities of Bochum and Berlin and industry partners focuses on reducing CO2 emissions through hardware and software improvements in 3DCP. The project includes the development of a mobile on-site printing system that will be tested on a construction site in Stuttgart, Germany in the summer of 2024. Functionally integrated wall geometries were modeled, and a software interface was developed for various devices, including the robotic arm, pump, mixer, and mixing nozzle. Different mortars and concretes were formulated and tested for their suitability for additive manufacturing. Interdependencies between these factors and their impact on the geometry design were explored. The next phase is to increase the complexity by considering the influence of construction site conditions.