Advancing Digital Fabrication through a Scalable Modular 3D Printing System for Cementitious Additive Manufacturing
Cementitious Additive Manufacturing (CAM), commonly known as 3D concrete printing, has emerged as a transformative digital construction technology that offers unprecedented design flexibility, eliminates the need for formwork, enhances material efficiency, and reduces construction time. However, the widespread adoption of CAM remains constrained by conventional monolithic and fixed-scale printing systems that lack the adaptability required for diverse project sizes, complex geometries, and varying site conditions. These limitations are further compounded by high capital investment, transportation constraints, and limited scalability, particularly in remote and resource-constrained environments. This study presents the design and development of a scalable modular 3D printing system tailored for CAM applications. Using a Design Science Research (DSR) methodology, the proposed platform integrates a modular mechanical architecture, adaptive extrusion mechanisms, distributed sensing, cyber-physical control, material–process coupling, and parametric toolpath planning to enable intelligent, flexible, and reconfigurable construction. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed modular CAM platform achieves robust precision, reliable extrusion consistency, high dimensional accuracy, rapid reconfiguration, and excellent scalability across varying build volumes. The system also improves deployment flexibility, reduces material waste and operational costs, and supports efficient on-site and off-site fabrication. Overall, the proposed framework provides a practical, scalable, and sustainable solution that advances next-generation digital construction while addressing critical limitations of existing CAM systems.