3D printing was the technology of the future – in 2012. More than 10 years later, the early mania has died back, bringing some realism to the process.

When we talk about 3D printing now, it feels like a throwback to an earlier time, with the process mostly turning out pointless desk ornaments. While there continues to be a market for plastic tat, perhaps we’re thinking about it wrong. Rather than going small, maybe we should think big – industrially big?

Applications for 3D printing cover a broad range, from prototyping of innovative designs through to building large facilities. Most thinking around the technology in the energy sector has focused on the smaller scale, on drillbit components, for instance.

Evangelists have talked about the practicality of being able to work in remote locations without having to put activities on hold to wait for spare part deliveries.

However, energy projects also often require large scale construction works. 3D printing may start to play a role here, particularly where local conditions may be challenging.

Going gantry

JGC Corp. announced in June that it had won 3D printing work on the Zuluf AH central processing facilities (CPF), in Saudi Arabia.

The Japanese company said it had been working to verify the uses of a “gantry-style concrete construction 3D printer” since October 2021. It first tested this equipment at a biomass power plant, in Japan’s Miyagi prefecture.

Following on from this, JGC said it had won an order from Aramco to print an exterior wall using a 3D construction printer at Zuluf. It won the contract in May 2022. It aims to start printing the wall this summer.

JGC said it would print the wall on site, instead of using on-site precast formwork. The company went on to say it would set out new plans for printing around the world.

It aims to use 3D printers for construction “as a solution to enhance construction efficiency and resolve the issue of construction labour shortage”.

Policy support

Saudi has taken a number of steps to support a move into the use of 3D printing in construction. The country opened a 3D printing facility in December 2023, aiming to produce panels for towers and bridges. At the time, local media reported these reduced carbon emissions by 70% when compared with traditional construction.

Aramco has also invested in a US company, Mighty Buildings, via its Wa’ed Ventures capital fund. The US company specialises in prefabricated buildings, claiming these are both environmentally friendly and climate resilient. Mighty Buildings has plans to establish manufacturing operations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi is not the only country in the Middle East eager to roll out 3D construction printing. Qatar claimed a spot in the Guinness World Records in 2023 for the tallest 3D printed tower.

The Saudi oil giant reported the construction of its first 3D printed building, a radio shelter at the Hawiyah Unayzah gas reservoir storage‍ project.

Samsung Engineering carried out the work on this building, using a cantilevered arm-type printer to carry out the work on the shelter.

This printer produced the building at a speed of 100 millimetres per second. The technology can cut construction time by more than 45%, while reducing costs by 60% and manpower by 80%.

Scaling up

Where an arm-type printer mimics a human arm, the gantry printer provides a much greater capacity to scale. A designer creates a 3D digital model. The model is broken down into horizontal slices, providing instructions to the printer.

JGC, with its work at Zuluf, is using technology from Denmark’s Cobod. One of the Japanese company’s local partners owns the 3D printer.

The Hawiyah shelter involved a building height of 3.85 metres, 6 metres wide and 8 metres in length. The Zuluf work is a step up. JGC said the wall will be around 340 square metres.

Cobod – which stands for Construction Of Buildings On Demand – is privately owned. Major corporates including GE and Holcim hold stakes, while the company describes JGC as a partner.

Cobod has said it could construct a building, using its gantry system, 9 metres high and 12 metres wide. The company claims its gantry system can move at a speed of 1,000 mm per second, although actual speed may be slower.

The Danish company, in addition to printing buildings, has investigated renewable energy opportunities. In 2019, it printed a 10 metre high pedestal prototype for a wind turbine.

Moving such a concrete base on public roads is limited to under 100 metres. Cobod has noted that if it printed a base on site, it could build towers up to 150-200 metres. This increased height would allow the turbine to capture 33% more power.

*Cobod’s 3D printed wind turbine tower for GE*

Trimming down

Part of the appeal of 3D construction printing is in the need for fewer workers, although those workers it does need require additional training. Cobod has suggested its gantry printer would require three to four workers to oversee its operation.

The use of 3D construction printing will likely reduce danger to workers, but is likely to also reduce the number of workers needed.

A shift to this technology over on-site formwork will also reduce concrete and reinforced steel use, cutting related emissions.

JGC has other plans in the 3D printing space, including research on carbon steel projects. The company is working with the Netherlands’ MX3D on wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), with the aim of offering last minute delivery from on-site printers.

The move to 3D construction printing brings benefits, particularly when creating one-off buildings. For more complicated construction, the challenges may outweigh the benefits. For instance, planning around pipes or electrical wires complicate construction – and may well be better suited to conventional building techniques.

3D printing is no longer the hyped up technology of the future. As industry becomes more comfortable with its real-world applications, this should be a step in the right direction.

One reason big projects have cost so much money in the past is the reliance on bespoke plans and construction. The first response to that was a move towards standardisation. Now, 3D construction printing may provide a new opportunity to achieve bespoke plans at a standardised cost.

There is a workforce shortage that will drive up costs for new projects. 3D construction printing may be part of the answer.

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