Towards a new digital craft. Potential and limitations of 3D printing in architecture and construction Towards a new digital craft. Potential and limitations of 3D printing in architecture and construction Gabriele Masera*, Marco Muscogiuri*, Alice Bongiovanni, Matteo Colombo** (*) Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (**) Politecnico di Milano, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering gabriele.masera@polimi.it; marco.muscogiuri@polimi.it; matteo.colombo@polimi.it Topic: automation in construction Abstract During the last years, the use of 3D printing has significantly increased across various industrial sectors. While in some areas of the manufacturing industry this technology, based on a layer-by-layer process, is already mature, in the construction sector the examples are still limited. Advocates of 3D printing technology identify its main advantages, among others, in terms of increased customisation options, more effective use of materials, reduced construction time and reduced labour on site, with the general goal of delivering tailored solutions at reduced costs, allowing a just-in-time management of the supply chain. This paper investigates the potential advantages of 3D printing in the current design and construction process, and the creative opportunities opened by components with custom forms, limited only by the mechanical and structural behaviour of the materials. A theoretical application of 3D printing with concrete is then presented, related to the production of structural elements with different complex shapes. Besides showing the digital design process leading to the geometrical definition of these components, the paper considers some of the challenges related to issues such as their off-site production, their installation process and the structural properties of the final assembly, based on literature data. Finally, some economical aspects of 3D printing are discussed and compared with standardised solutions.