Digital Twin Applications in 3D Concrete Printing

Abstract

The benefits of 3D concrete printing (3DCP) include reducing construction time and costs, providing design freedom, and being environmentally friendly. This technology is expected to be effective in addressing the global house shortage. This review highlights the main 3DCP applications and four critical challenges. It is proposed to combine 3D concrete printing with Digital Twin (DT) technology to meet the challenges the 3DCP faces and improve quality and sustainability. This paper provides a critical review of research into the application of DT technology in 3DCP, categorize the applications and directions proposed according to different lifecycles, and explore the possibility of incorporating them into existing 3DCP systems. A comprehensive roadmap was proposed to detail how DT can be used at different lifecycle stages to optimize and address the four main challenges of 3DCP, providing directions and ideas for further research.