Monday, March 29, 2021

3D Printing in construction

Image from article

Students in various fields of engineering find 3D printing to be an extremely interesting innovation. In an article I use as a model text for explaining how something works, the focus is on how 3D printing could eventually be used in large-scale projects in the construction industry.

The article is How to print a building: the science behind 3D printing in construction, by Seyed Ghaffar, Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering and Environmental Materials, Brunel University London.

Link to the article: https://theconversation.com/how-to-print-a-building-the-science-behind-3d-printing-in-construction-98490

In addition to being an interesting topic for my students, the article has many language features that I guide them to incorporate into their own writing, especially when writing a process description.

The first sentence of the article gives an indication of the intended audience of the article:

  • It's often claimed that 3D printing -- known in the trade as "additive manufacturing" -- will change the way we live.

I call students' attention to the use of the phrase in boldface -- obviously it is focusing on those who are not "in the trade." There are other indications in the article that it is written for a non-expert audience.

  • The simple approach of layer-wise construction -- where building materials are layered on top of each other to create a facade -- has already been practised for a long time in the construction sector, for example in conventional brick layering techniques.

Here, a description of what "layer-wise construction is" and a specific example of where this has already been used in construction are further examples of audience focus.

  • One component is printable feedstocks -- the materials which are actually "printed" to create the final product.
And here, the term "feedstocks" is explained.

To describe how 3D printing could be used as well as what some of the problems are, there is language to present comparisons:

  • But it's one thing to build small, prototype homes in a park -- it's quite another to ...
  • Yet in some ways, it's not as ...
  • But there is still some way to go before ...
  • ... can work faster -- but it also puts the feedstock at risk of ...
  • But before that can happen, ...

There is also language of cause and effect:

  • so that the layers can be deposited rapidly.
  • to achieve a robust structure which can take load.
  • must be just right, so that ...
  • need to be formulated and developed, so that this technology ...
  • printer, which must have a power pump to suit ...
  • The speed and the size of the printer is key to ...
  • Decreasing the setting time of the feedstock means that the printer ...
  • a constant rate, so that the layers can ...

The article has many examples of passive voice, which is contrasted with the use of the active voice; for example:

  • To create materials for 3D printed constructions, scientists must carefully control (active voice) the setting time of the paste, the stability of the first few layers and the bonding between the layers. The behaviour of the materials must be thoroughly investigated (passive voice) under a range of conditions, to achieve a robust structure which can take load.
Other examples of the passive voice:

  • It's often claimed that 3D printing -- known in the trade as "additive manufacturing"
  • ... layer-wise construction -- where building materials are layered on top of each other to create a facade -- has already been practised for a long time
  • ... to automate and improve processes that have already been proven manually. 
  • ... different components of additive manufacturing, each of which must be developed and refined before the process can be successfully used ...
  • ... the materials which are actually "printed"
  • Printable feedstocks are typically made from a combination of bulk materials
  • ... so that the layers can be deposited rapidly.
  • ... and don't stay wet for too long once they have been deposited to form a structure. Different grades of feedstock need to be formulated and developed, so that this technology can be used to build a range of different structural elements, ...
  • The pressure and flow rate of the printer must be trialled with different types of feedstocks.
  • Only then can the potential of 3D printing be harnessed to build faster, and more sustainably, than ever before.

There is another useful contrast of vocabulary my students often have trouble with: the difference between fewer and less for count and non-count nouns in English:

  • 3D printing can produce up to 30% less material waste, use less energy and fewer resources, enable in-situ production (which in turn cuts transports costs), grant greater architectural freedom and generate fewer CO2 emissions over the entire lifecycle of the product.

This sentence also has a variety of verb-noun collocations that are useful in technical writing:

  • produce waste
  • use energy
  • use resources
  • enable production
  • cuts costs
  • grant freedom
  • generate emissions

Other noun-verb collocations:

  • announce plans
  • create a facade
  • automate processes
  • deliver on potential
  • set concrete
  • maintain shape

As a quick wrap-up to the lesson, I had students highlight verbs they thought could be used in different types of technical writing. This helps them to realize that they already know "technical vocabulary" because these verbs are quite common. Here's the list they came up with:

  • build
  • use
  • layer
  • create
  • practise
  • combine
  • automate
  • improve
  • produce
  • generate
  • develop
  • refine
  • mix
  • set
  • maintain
  • deposit
  • investigate
  • achieve
  • formulate
  • measure
  • speed up
  • slow down
  • optimise
  • fuse
  • take load
  • provide
  • revolutionise
  • harness
Since many of these verbs are used more than once, students can notice the different collocations used for them -- verb-noun, verb-preposition, or adverb-verb.

The article includes a link to a text on the Brunel University website for which Prof. Ghaffar is also an author: Additive Manufacturing Technology in Construction (AMTC). This can serve an example of how some of the same informaiton is written for an expert audience.

For example, information written first for the expert article, contrasted with the information from this (non-expert) article:
  1. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a procedure that forms layers to create a three-dimensional solid object from a digital model.
  2. The simple approach of layer-wise construction -- where building materials are layered on top of each other to create a facade, ...

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