3D printing in construction: A review of emerging technologies, advanced materials, and future opportunities

Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, is emerging as a transformative technology in the construction industry because of its potential to improve design flexibility, construction speed, material efficiency, and sustainability. This review provides an integrated assessment of 3D printing in construction by connecting major additive manufacturing techniques, advanced construction materials, practical applications, performance evaluation methods, environmental impacts, and future implementation challenges. Unlike previous reviews that mainly focus on isolated aspects such as printable concrete, robotic systems, or sustainability, this study presents a comprehensive framework linking printing technology, material behavior, mechanical performance, standardization, and practical construction adoption. The review covers key techniques including Contour Crafting, Concrete Printing, Fused Deposition Modelling, Selective Laser Sintering, Binder Jetting, D -Shape Printing, and Robotic Arm 3D Printing, along with advanced materials such as cement-based composites, ultra-high-performance concrete, polymers, metallic materials, and bio-based sustainable materials. Special attention is given to fresh-state and hardened-state performance tests, including rheology, build-ability, compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile and splitting strength, interlayer bonding, durability, and long-term environmental performance. The findings indicate that 3D printing can reduce material waste, labor demand, construction time, and carbon emissions; however, large-scale adoption remains constrained by weak interlayer bonding, anisotropic mechanical behavior, material limitations, high equipment costs, lack of standardized testing methods, and regulatory uncertainty. This review concludes that 3D printing has strong potential for sustainable and automated construction, provided that future research prioritizes material optimization, standardization, structural reliability, reinforcement strategies, and practical design guidelines.