Technology of 3D printing and possibilities of use in building elements

Technology of 3D printing and possibilities of use in building elements Zuzana Marcalikova1 * , Radoslav Gandel1, and Pavlina Mateckova2 1VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Building Materials and Diagnostics of Structures, Ludvika Podeste 1875/17, 708 00 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic 2 Department of Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Ludvika Podeste 1875/17, 708 00, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic. Abstract. The paper deals with 3D printing technology and its use in construction. There are several 3D printing technologies, where the main aspects that need to be considered are the choice of printing material. Examples of printing material include polymers, resins, concrete, steel or ceramics. The print material can be chosen in the form of an eco-friendly polymer material, where examples include PLA (PolyLactic Acid), rPLA (Recycled PolyLactic Acid), PETG (Glycol-modified Polyethylene Terephthalate). It is also possible to choose from a range of other polymers, wherein the material includes for example ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), PE (PolyEthylene), PP (PolyproPylene), PVA, etc. The choice of the printing material itself is closely linked to the choice of the 3D printing printer itself, with each printer considering the material used in 3D printing. In the construction industry, polymers can be used by creating special atypical moulds, which can be further used in laboratory tests or, for example, in the field of architecture for interior design elements or exterior furnishings in the form of furnishings. 1 Additive technologies and materials research Additive technology is known primarily for 3D printing [1]. It is an evolution in the way of production, and its development is also closely related to advances in materials research. A wide range of materials can be used in additive manufacturing, where this expands the possibilities of applying 3D printing technology to various fields such as industry, construction [2] healthcare [3], design [4,5] and many others. Very crucial is the development in materials research itself, which includes the development of new materials for additive technology. Of particular importance at present is the development of materials that are characterised by improved mechanical properties. Additive technology belongs to the manufacturing method that is used to create an object using a digital model. It is a method of production where the selected material is gradually layered, resulting in a real spatial object in the selected scale. This production method is very different from traditional methods, which may include, for example, machining. * Corresponding author: zuzana.marcalikov[email protected] E3S Web of Conferences 641, 01028 (2025) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202564101028 Young Scientist 2025 © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The most well-known additive technology today is 3D printing. It is a printing process that allows very precise production of complex shapes and structures, which is one of the great advantages of 3D printing. This principle of production, i.e. the use of 3D printing, is very easy to implement compared to conventional methods such as machining. The principle of 3D printing consists in shaping a selected material based on a prepared digital model, which can be created in various software (e.g. AutoCad, ArchiCad, SketchUp and many others). A wide range of materials can be used for 3D printing, such as polymer [6], concrete [7-10], metals or ceramics. The aim of the paper is to explore and to make an overview the possibilities of using additive manufacturing, specifically Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) technology, in the design and production of polymer forms for architectural and construction applications. The study focuses on the entire process chain — from digital modelling and optimization of printing parameters to the actual production of forms and their practical application. The research aims to evaluate the technological capabilities of FDM printing in terms of accuracy, material efficiency and repeatability, while identifying its potential for experimental design approaches, laboratory testing and production of atypical structural components. 2 3D Polymer Printing Technology There are several 3D printing technologies that differ primarily in terms of accuracy, economic costs, 3D printing speed, the resulting surface of the print model, the material used and the application options. The different 3D printing technologies for plastics are summarised in Table 1. The Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) [11], which is used by the Czech company Prusa Research, is used at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Mining Engineering Ostrava. It is a technology that stands out thanks to its simplicity. The principle consists in melting a coiled plastic wire - the so-called filament - which is printed onto a printing plate according to a predefined digital pattern. The individual layers of the fused plastic filament are layered on top of each other to form the final object after solidification, where its shape has been defined based on the digital file. Table 1. 3D printing technology (*, ** abbreviations explained in the legend below the table). 3D printing technology Print accuracy Cost Print speed Surface treatment of the final product Materials Application Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) M - H L - M M Coarser surface. Visible layers. PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU, nylon, polycarbonate, etc. Production of test forms and templates for concrete casting. Architectural designs [12] and 3D visualizations. Teaching aids. Construction (column, formwork) [13]. Stereolithogr aphy (SLA) Digital Light Processing (DLP) VH M - H L - M Smooth surface Fine details. Postprocessing. Photopolymer resins (standard, flexible, transparent, etc.) High precision mould printing (complex geometric parts). Forms for decorative elements or reliefs. E3S Web of Conferences 641, 01028 (2025) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202564101028 Young Scientist 2025 2 Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) H H M Coarser surface. Needs postprocessing. Polyamide (P12), polyamide with filler (+glass fibre), metal powders, elastomers. Development of design elements for testing and experiments. Printing complex architectural elements without the need for printing supports. Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) H H H Good surface finish. Uniform mechanical properties. Polyamide (PA11, PA12), elastomers, glass and carbon composites. Production of prototype parts of building structures (fasteners, facade parts or parts of structural systems). Modular structures or parts of prefabricated systems. Creation of accurate models that can also be mechanically functional (moving parts, dynamic demonstrations of structures). Models for tattooing structural properties. PolyJet/MJ VH H H Very smooth surface. Fine details. Needs postprocessing. Photopolymer resin Prototypes with different materials and colours. Creating models with the possibility to combine rigid and flexible parts in one model. *M-medium, H-hight, L-low, VH-very hight, **PLA (PolyLactic Acid), ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), PETG (Glycol-modified Polyethylene Terephthalate), TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane), P11 – Polyamide 11 – made from castor oil, P12 – Polyamide 12 – made from petrochemical raw materials. Prusa Research printers use a range of polymer materials [14] such as PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU (flexible plastics), polycarbonate (PC), nylon and many others. In Table 2, you can see a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of individual 3D printing technologies that use polymer materials. Table 2. 3D printing technology – Advantages and disadvantages. Technology Advantages Disadvantages Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) Low printer and material costs. Easy to operate and maintain. Suitable for prototyping and small series. Limited detail accuracy. Mechanical properties affected by print direction (lower strength in Z axis). Rougher surface. Stereolithography (SLA) High precision and detailed output. Smooth surface. Possibility of using different types of resins with different properties. Higher printer and material costs. Requires postprocessing (removal of excess resin). Limited size of printable object. E3S Web of Conferences 641, 01028 (2025) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202564101028 Young Scientist 2025 3 Digital Light Processing (DLP) Faster than SLA (the entire layer is cured at once). High accuracy and detail. Fast printing. Limited size of printable objects. Requires postprocessing. Higher equipment costs. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) High strength and durability of materials. Possibility of printing complex shapes without the need for supports. Efficient use of material (powder can be recycled). Higher printer and material costs. Rougher surface requiring postprocessing. Higher energy requirements. Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) High speed and accuracy. Uniform mechanical properties throughout the entire volume of the part. Possibility of producing complex parts with high detail. High acquisition costs for printers. Limited choice of materials. Requires special conditions for printing and postprocessing. PolyJet/MJ High accuracy Possibility of printing a combination of multiple materials and colours. Smooth surface. Printing speed. Enabling simulation of the properties of various materials. Flexibility of materials. High costs. Fragility of materials. Requires postprocessing. Limited durability of materials. Higher energy costs (UV curing). Limited part size. Environmental impacts (limited recyclability). 3 The concept of 3D forms Among the first steps closely related to mould making is the creation of a digital model. A digital model can be created in a variety of software including AutoCad, ArchiCad, SketchUp, SolidWorks, Fusion 360, etc. When making a mould, it is very important to consider the manufacturing process and the material that will be used in the creation/casting of the final product. Another important step in the creation of the model is the optimization of the mould model itself, which includes, for example, the thickness of the mould wall, the model fill (smaller fill will ensure savings in printing material), the need for supports for printing the mould, etc. If the model optimization has been performed, the file can be converted to the desired format that is compatible with the printer type. In the case of Prusa Researche's printer, this is the STL format. After the digital model is created, the STL format file can be opened in a program that allows printing. In this case it is the Prusa Slicer program. In this program it is important to set the basic printing parameters, which include the material used for printing the mould, setting the height of the print layer and defining the supports. In a more advanced mode, it is possible to define other parameters that subsequently affect the amount of material used or the quality of the print itself, where these steps can be included in the print optimization. Print optimization can be done considering both time and economic possibilities. Alternatively, consider the required precision/detail of the printing form. If all necessary parameters are set, it is possible to perform the actual slicing of the model, where in this step the spatial model is divided into thin horizontal layers, which are defined for printing on the 3D printer. This process is a slicing process where the 3D printer performs/deploys the print material onto the E3S Web of Conferences 641, 01028 (2025) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202564101028 Young Scientist 2025 4 print plate. Part of the slicing process is the generation of the G-code, where the 3D printer itself already works with this format. The third step is the printing of the mould itself, where this process is closely related to the technology of the 3D printer used, where the different technologies are discussed in chapter 2. Printing of smaller format forms can be done, for example, using the Original Prusa XL and Original Prusa MK4S printers from Prusa Research [15]. These 3D printers use FDM technology. The Original Prusa MK4S printer uses a Cartesian design system, where the print head moves in the X and Z directions. The print bed moves forward and backward in the Y direction. The Original Prusa XL printer uses the COREXY system, where the print head moves along the XY plane. The print bed moves up and down in the Z-axis direction. The last step is the post-processing and finishing and the actual use and testing of the samples. The post-processing mainly includes the removal of supports from the mould itself, cleaning of the surfaces where polishing or smoothing is involved. When the post-processing phase has been completed, the actual testing of the mould can commence, where accuracy and functionality are tested. Simultaneously with the optimization and development of the forms, a recipe design is also underway, which will be based on the recipe presented in [16]. Suggestions for form modification can also be considered during the actual testing. The whole concept of form preparation and production is summarised in Figure 1. Fig. 1. Process of preparation and production of forms using 3D printing. 4 Application solutions for architectonics element One of the possible applications of 3D printing in the construction industry is the printing of forms for various architectural elements. 3D printing allows the production of complex, detailed products that would otherwise be very difficult to implement and financially demanding using traditional methods. Selected architectural design elements include, for example, forms for designable and functional interior elements, decorative cladding or exterior elements in the form of furniture (trash bins, decorative bench handles, outdoor lighting, etc.). An example of creating a form for a designable and functional interior element is shown in Fig. 2. In addition to the digital model, which was created using the ArchiCad program, Figure 2 shows the actual slicing in the PrusaSlicer program, the printing of part of the form, and the resulting form for making a designable and functional interior element. E3S Web of Conferences 641, 01028 (2025) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202564101028 Young Scientist 2025 5 (a) (b) (c) (d) Fig. 2. Form for making a designable and functional interior element: (a) form in ArchiCad; (b) form in PrusaSlicer; (c) printing the form on a 3D printer; (d) the form resulting. 5 Conclusion The paper deals with 3D printing technologies such as Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), Stereolithography (SLA), Digital Light Processing (DLP), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) and many others. These 3D printing technologies are primarily focused on 3D printing of polymeric materials. Among the simplest technologies, FDM technologies can be classified. 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