Smart additive and subtractive manufacturing of cementitious materials for multi-material structural and fluid-transport components

Background

Additive manufacturing of cementitious materials has emerged as a transformative approach to fabricating building components with complex geometries, spatially tailored properties, and integrated functionality. By enabling layer-by-layer deposition, this field promises reduced material waste, automation of reinforcement strategies, and the incorporation of novel binders that can sequester CO₂ or improve durability. Concurrently, there is growing demand for construction solutions that accelerate strength development, minimize carbon emissions, and control moisture transport in architectural elements, driving research into multi-material deposition and novel surface-engineering techniques.

Despite these advances, existing methods face significant limitations. Concrete 3D printing platforms largely rely on single-component extrusion and still require manual reinforcement to meet structural requirements, while attempts to integrate polymers or silicones often suffer from inconsistent interfaces, thermal incompatibilities, and flow instability. Alternative binders such as calcium silicate–based cements harden too slowly under ambient CO₂ levels, limiting early mechanical performance. At the same time, current surface-patterning techniques cannot produce precise high-aspect-ratio capillary networks, resulting in sluggish wetting, gravity-driven flow constraints, and compromised durability under cyclic moisture exposure.

Technology

This suite of advanced construction technologies has the potential to combine automated multi-material deposition, in-line gas‐triggered curing, and precision surface patterning to unlock new fabrication capabilities. A kinematic tool‐changing platform swaps concrete, polymer, and silicone extruders under software‐controlled flow rate, speed, and temperature settings, while parking routines prevent oozing and ensure clean tool transitions. A specialized nozzle attachment clamps onto a standard extrusion head to co‐deliver wollastonite-based cement paste and a high‐pressure CO₂ jet for in situ carbonation, producing porous, high-surface‐area cellular infills that accelerate hardening and boost early strength. Finally, laser engraving carves V-shaped, high-aspect-ratio capillary channels into cured cement or clay panels; localized melting creates micro-bridges and a roughened wall that lowers contact angles and programs fluid transport against gravity.

These methods stand apart by integrating material, chemical, and geometrical control in a single workflow. The multi-material platform supports dual and coaxial extrusion with synchronized G-code toolpaths tuned to each material’s rheology—capabilities beyond typical single-nozzle systems. The in-line carbonation process embeds CO₂ sequestration into layer-by-layer printing, offering a sustainable hardening route not found in conventional concrete or casting methods. Laser-etched capillaries achieve channel morphologies and surface chemistries inaccessible by molding, milling, or hydro-jetting, enabling programmable wetting and evaporative cooling on vertical façades.

Benefits

• Automated multi-material deposition eliminating manual reinforcement steps
• Software‐controlled extrusion (flow rate, speed, temperature) for high precision and reduced defects
• Dual and coaxial extrusion modes enabling complex sequential or simultaneous layering
• Customizable spatial material distribution for tailored mechanical and thermal properties

• Integrated hardware-software solution supporting scalable production of reinforced concrete, polymer, and silicone components

• In-situ CO₂ delivery during printing accelerates carbonation, boosting early strength development
• Porous, cellular architectures maximize gas diffusion and hardening efficiency
• CO₂ sequestration in calcium silicate cement reduces net carbon footprint versus OPC
• Precise flow control and adjustable nozzle configuration ensure uniform gas distribution and scalable fabrication

• Enclosed ventilation and safety features enable industrial deployment of low-carbon cement components

• Laser-engraved V-grooves and micro-bridges dramatically enhance capillary uptake
• Programmable channel networks drive liquid against gravity for fast, uniform wetting
• Tunable channel spacing, depth, and inlets allow precise control of flow capacity and distribution
• Rapid surface wetting enables applications like evaporative cooling, humidification, and self-watering
• Surface modification unachievable by molding or milling, offering superior fluid transport on cementitious and clay panels

Applications

• On-site multi-material concrete printing
• CO2-sequestering cement component fabrication
• Laser-engraved evaporative cooling façades
• Reinforced polymer-concrete structural panels
• Custom cellular architecture building blocks

Additional info

Advanced additive-manufacturing platforms integrate kinematic tool-changers for concrete–polymer–silicone deposition, software-synchronized dual/coaxial extruders with thermal/rheological controls; a 3D-printed nozzle attachment delivers CO₂ to wollastonite-based cement paste during printing, generating porous cellular architectures that enhance in-situ carbonation; high-power laser engraving carves V-shaped microgrooves in cementitious panels, forming roughened capillary networks that drive programmable fluid transport against gravity.