Quels sont les impacts de l'impression 3D sur le secteur de la construction ?

Abstract

This research analyzes where the other technologies have failed in their attempt of industrialization. Afterwards, it presents the barriers 3D printing will have to go beyond. Then, the benefits that will be harvested by the sector thanks to the adoption of this technology are listed. To verify those theoretical promises, some current applications will be analyzed. The speculative benefits and barriers are compared to the actual ones. The principal arguments related to the gain of productivity and form flexibility were proved. The size of both the printer and the product printed were subject to many researches and this led to the invalidation of the obstacle. However, the lack of regulations still appears on the ground. The recommendations discussed are: • To start by targeting niche market made of early adopters and innovators. The argument of form flexibility is the best to be used for this objective. Afterwards, aiming to reach mass market by focusing on the price factor. • To invest in marketing work. • To seek help from governments by asking for the implementation of regulations. This analysis has some limitations. Since the introduction of this technology in the construction sector is quite recent, there is no sufficient documentation nor current applications to conduct a perfect research work. The thesis could then be considered as a basis to the comprehension of how 3D printing can industrialize the construction field.