Computer-Aided Process Planning for Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing of Concrete

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing of Concrete (AMoC), also referred to as 3D concrete printing, is revolutionizing construction through layer-by-layer fabrication, enabling the creation of complex, customized geometries with reduced material use and construction time. Its advantages—geometric freedom, design flexibility, and tunable mechanical properties—have attracted attention across industries such as architecture, construction, and aerospace. AMoC employs gantry, robotic, and hybrid extrusion systems for large-scale construction, yet its widespread implementation remains limited by toolpath discontinuity, material rheology challenges, and lack of design standardization. Effective process planning—specifically toolpath generation—is essential to achieving high-quality printed concrete components. Toolpath design directly affects geometric accuracy, print continuity, and interlayer bonding, which influences the overall structural integrity and sustainability of printed parts. Unlike polymer or metal AM, there is a critical need for the development of Computer-Aided Process Planning (CAPP) systems specific to extrusion-based concrete printing. The main objective of this research is three-fold: (1) Development of systematic Design for Additive Manufacturing of Concrete (DfAMoC) framework—integrating design and manufacturing principles for contour-based toolpath generation, (2) Utilization of Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP) solver for generating continuous toolpath strategy to improve path continuity, isotropy, and printing efficiency in AMoC (3) Development of a growth curve-based printing path planning method that optimizes part strength, quality, scalability, computational efficiency, and further extending this approach to non-planar area filling addressing curved and complex geometries.