Thermal Performance Improvement of Brick Design via 3D Printing (2025-06)¶

Additive manufacturing via 3D printing enables precise control over the mechanical properties of a component through the geometric definition of its layered composition. In relation to the construction field, traditional solid clay bricks have been developed for mass manufacturing and therefore have lacked thermal efficiency in their design. This research leverages 3D printing technology to test the potential to improve and optimize the thermal properties of construction bricks. This is achieved by precisely manipulating the brick’s geometry to enhance its thermal conductivity, without changing the material itself. This work utilizes digital simulation in combination with 3D printing to create full-scale material models to evaluate the thermal efficiency of the proposed geometry. The key impact of this research is to advance the development of brick geometry while also assessing the potential for 3D-printed designs for construction. The findings from this paper can contribute towards the reduction of material waste and labor-intensive processes in traditional methods.