Construction 3D printing builds structures layer by layer from a digital model, created in CAD software or captured with a 3D scanner. The printer reads the design and lays down successive layers of material that bond into a solid form.
Because almost any shape can be printed, architects gain freedom, and contractors use only the material the design needs. Less waste and fewer manual steps mean lower costs on suitable projects.
Printers can produce small architectural forms, building components for assembly on site, or entire buildings printed straight onto the foundation. The method fits well with building information modelling, which already holds the data a printer needs.
Related solution: Construction 3D printing