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A Review of 3D Printing in Construction and its Impact on the Labor Market

Author

Listed:
  • Md. Aslam Hossain

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan)

  • Altynay Zhumabekova

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan)

  • Suvash Chandra Paul

    (Department of Civil Engineering, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh)

  • Jong Ryeol Kim

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan)

Abstract

Construction industry is very labor-intensive and one of the major sources of employment in the world. The industry is experiencing low productivity with minimum technological innovations for decades. In recent times, various automation technologies including 3D printing have received increasing interests in construction. 3D printing in construction is found to be very promising to automate the construction processes and have the potential of saving laborious work, material waste, construction time, risky operation for humans, etc. There has been a comprehensive body of research conducted to understand the recent advances, future prospects and challenges of large-scale adoption of 3D printing in construction projects. Being one the labor-intensive industries, this study also investigates the possible impact on the labor market with increasing adoption of 3D printing in construction. It is found that 3D printing can reduce significant number of labors which can solve the labor shortage problem, especially for the countries where construction is heavily dependent on immigrant workers. In contrast, 3D printing might not be favorable for the countries where construction is one of the main workforces and labor is less expensive. Moreover, 3D construction printing will also require people with special skills related to this new technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Md. Aslam Hossain & Altynay Zhumabekova & Suvash Chandra Paul & Jong Ryeol Kim, 2020. "A Review of 3D Printing in Construction and its Impact on the Labor Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-21, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:20:p:8492-:d:428190
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Uzair Ali & Hasan Aftab Saeed & Bilal Anjum Ahmed & Sajid Ullah Butt & Rehan Khan, 2022. "Investigation of the Impact Resistance Behavior of Customized Hair Clipper Comb Fabricated by Fused Deposition Modeling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-16, July.
    3. Ning Zhang & Aziz Kemal Konyalıoğlu & Huabo Duan & Haibo Feng & Huanyu Li, 2024. "The impact of innovative technologies in construction activities on concrete debris recycling in China: a system dynamics-based analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(6), pages 14039-14064, June.
    4. Rajesh Singh & Anita Gehlot & Shaik Vaseem Akram & Lovi Raj Gupta & Manoj Kumar Jena & Chander Prakash & Sunpreet Singh & Raman Kumar, 2021. "Cloud Manufacturing, Internet of Things-Assisted Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technology: Reliable Tools for Sustainable Construction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-20, June.
    5. Berns, John P. & Jia, Yankun & Gondo, Maria, 2022. "Crowdfunding success in sustainability-oriented projects: An exploratory examination of the crowdfunding of 3D printers," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    6. Hao Lu & Qin Zhang & Qinghong Cui & Yuanyuan Luo & Pardis Pishdad-Bozorgi & Xiancun Hu, 2021. "How Can Information Technology Use Improve Construction Labor Productivity? An Empirical Analysis from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-13, May.
    7. Carlos Genaro Morales Aranibar & Adolfo La Rosa Toro Gómez & José Luiz da Silva & Luis Morales-Aranibar & Diego Arán, 2025. "Reuse of Mine Tailings Through Geopolymerization Applied to 3D Printing: A Review of Progress, Challenges and Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-34, March.
    8. Finn G. Feldmann, 2022. "Towards Lean Automation in Construction—Exploring Barriers to Implementing Automation in Prefabrication," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-22, October.
    9. Narinder Singh & Francesco Colangelo & Ilenia Farina, 2023. "Sustainable Non-Conventional Concrete 3D Printing—A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-42, June.
    10. Syed Mujeeb & Manideep Samudrala & Bhagyashri A. Lanjewar & Ravijanya Chippagiri & Muralidhar Kamath & Rahul V. Ralegaonkar, 2023. "Development of Alkali-Activated 3D Printable Concrete: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-21, May.
    11. Ahsan Waqar & Idris Othman & Juan Carlos Pomares, 2023. "Impact of 3D Printing on the Overall Project Success of Residential Construction Projects Using Structural Equation Modelling," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-25, February.
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