Trade Journals for the Concrete Industry

A team at Stellenbosch University has developed 3D concrete printing (3DCP) technology and materials since 2016. Driven by the potential of arresting and reversing the increasing housing backlog and soaring unemployment through highly productive industrialised or hybrid construction and associated stimulation of related industries, the team designed, locally procured and built 3DCP facilities. We subsequently researched and developed printable materials ranging from lightweight to high performance print- able concrete, reliability-based constructability models to avoid collapse of the unsupported freshly printed concrete during construction, automated reinforcement, design and modelling of reinforced and unreinforced 3DCP, fire safety, plastic shrinkage and cracking, improved façade thermal control, and durability. The article presents an overview of recent results.