Research Summary Report of C06

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Patrick Schwerdtner         Project Leader, patrick.schwerdtner@tu-braunschweig.de

Technische Universität Braunschweig (TU BS), Institut für Bauwirtschaft und Baubetrieb/Institute for Construction Engineering and Management

The integration of additive manufacturing into construction requires an interdisciplinary approach. The different competences of the team – digital fabrication in architecture (Hack), geodesy and photogrammetry (Gerke) and construction management (Schwerdtner) – lead to research from diverse perspectives on the various scalar levels of construction to be viewed holistically: component, building and industry scale.

Within subproject C06, the goal of the first phase was to create a continuous digital and lean-based process chain from design (using BIM method) to fabrication (using AM method). Based on process models and strategic decisions, we investigated how to change them into a construction industry 5.0 and will continue our research in this field in the second phase.

Summary

Industry 5.0 aims to enhance human-machine collaboration, fostering safer and more efficient workplaces by reducing physically demanding tasks. Additive
manufacturing as one approach to further automate construction is suitable for repetitive tasks but struggles with activities requiring flexibility, problem-solving or tacit knowledge, leaving many processes still to construction workers. However, risks such as accident potential and mutual interferences in collaborative environments remain. The shift toward digital fabrication highlights the need for advanced methods and data to address evolving challenges in construction ergonomics and productivity.

Therefore, an experiment to explore the potential of using additive manufacturing processes to automate concrete work and improve productivity was recently conducted. The study involved two test groups, each with two construction workers, who built two reinforced concrete beams using traditional formwork methods and Shotcrete 3D printing. The construction workers’ movement and position data were recorded and analysed using an optical tracking system. The data revealed, among other results, that the workers had to spend more time working near floor level in traditional production steps, while in the additive manufacturing process, the work was limited to less crouched positions for reinforcement integration.

However, the human-machine collaboration in the additive manufacturing process also revealed that clear working areas need to be specified to minimize potential risks from overlapping working areas (see overlapping movement areas of subjects and end effector in Fig. 1). Overall, this study highlighted the potentials of additive manufacturing to reduce physically strenuous activities and understand human movements during additive manufacturing processes.