3-D Printing in Transportation: Already in Action
The construction industry already has used 3-D printing technology for quite some time—only the name is new. Of the many synonyms for 3-D printing in construction, the most commonly used is “additive manufacturing,” which is derived from the aerospace, automobile, biomedical, energy, consumer goods, and other industries. Other synonyms include “layered manufacturing,” “free-form fabrication,” and “digital manufacturing”. Unlike in other industries, the construction of buildings, bridges, highways, airport runways, marine structures, and other facilities traditionally has involved an additive, or layered, manufacturing process—one that traditionally has been manual and labor-intensive. Because construction and manufacturing have operated as separate industries, however, the existence of additive processes in construction has not been widely recognized by other industries. In this article, the author outlines the history of 3-D printing in construction from slip-form construction, shotcreting, and contour crafting to freeform construction or concrete printing. The present status of 3-D printing is discussed along with challenges facing 3-D printing applications including lack of coordination; size of construction printers; ink formulation/concrete mixture optimization; and incorporating reinforcing steel into 3-D printed structures.
- Record URL:
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/07386826
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Authors:
- Khan, Mohammad S
- Publication Date: 2018-3
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Figures; Photos; References;
- Pagination: pp 20-26
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Serial:
- TR News
- Issue Number: 314
- Publisher: Transportation Research Board
- ISSN: 0738-6826
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Construction; Fabrication; Manufacturing; Technological innovations; Three dimensional printing
- Subject Areas: Construction; Transportation (General);
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01666987
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Apr 24 2018 1:51PM