Novel Digital Twin Architecture for 3D Concrete Printing in the AEC Industry (2024-03)¶

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is rapidly transforming various industries. In the construction sector, 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) is gaining traction as a solution to address problems like labor and housing shortages. While other industries successfully embrace digitalization, such as Digital Twins (DTs), to improve AM processes, its implementation in the construction industry is in its infancy. This paper aims to pave the way for future DT implementation in 3DCP by proposing DT architecture, including necessary components, and layers (physical, digital, sensing, computing/perception, communication, devices, and control/actuation) throughout project phases (design, preconstruction, construction, postconstruction). The findings revealed that the current literature focused solely on the preconstruction phase and the use of “Building Information Modeling” (BIM) for 3DCP. This paper provides insights into the DT architecture system for understanding the main components and tools essential for starting future implementations of DT for 3DCP and reducing the digitalization gap between construction and other industries.