EFFECTS OF CONSTRUCTION 3D PRINTING ON LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY: A COMPARISON STUDY WITH EXISTING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

Abstract

Effects of construction 3d printing on labour productivity: a comparison study with existing construction methods The construction industry is faced with the problem of lack of innovation, low productivity and labour shortage. With the inception of 3D Printing technology only in construction recently, the test and development of this technology is still in its infancy. Many scholars had cited that Construction 3D Printing has many benefits, such as cost saving, time saving and even reduced the reliance of labour on site. Arguably, Construction 3D Printing (C3DP) has the possibilities of improving productivity in construction. However, due to the difficulties in measuring productivity in construction and difficulties in data collection, this research seeks to only measure the labour productivity. A pricing study was adopted as the research design with control measures. Construction procedures for conventional, prefabrication and C3DP were derived and personal interview was conducted to derive the number of labourers and time needed to construct two sets of walls of different complexities. Manhours were used to compare labour productivity. A focus group discussion was also conducted to validate the research design. The overall finding showed that C3DP only shows an improvement in labour productivity for high complexity and not for low complexity. The measurement obtained from the interview was repeated to calculate the manhours for mass production. It was found that C3DP shows an improvement in labour productivity for mass production of high complexity construction to a certain extent.