As an emerging method in engineering construction, concrete 3D printing has experienced rapid development in recent years due to its advantages in terms of automation, digitization, and intelligence. In order to comprehensively understand the research progress of concrete 3D printing technology, the literature on concrete 3D printing technology published in the Web of Science core database from 2014 to 2023 is used as a data source, and the visualization tool CiteSpace is utilized to research and analyze these results from the following aspects: number of publications, collaboration networks, research hotspots, and evolutionary trends. The results show that the number of publications in the field of concrete 3D printing technology has been increasing from year to year, with a gradually accelerating growth rate. The top three journals in terms of publication volume are Construction and Building Materials, Cement and Concrete Composites, and Materials. Research in the field of concrete 3D printing technology is mainly conducted through collaborations among research groups or institutions, while there are relatively fewer interactions among researchers from different institutions, regions, and countries. The current research direction mainly focuses on 3D printing materials, process parameters, and technology. The research content has progressed from initial explorations of concrete 3D printing technology to detailed studies of 3D printing materials and their performance. Overall, the research in this field continues to add further details to our knowledge of concrete 3D printing technology, and its application in engineering is gradually increasing. The automated, digitized, and intelligent construction methods of concrete 3D printing technology serve as a powerful driving force for the transformation and upgrading of the field of architecture.
Based on 3D printing technology, this paper investigates the effects of the printing process and reinforcement materials on the performance of 3D-printed glass bead insulation mortar. In order to improve and enhance the performance of the mortar, two sets of tests were designed for research and analysis. Firstly, by changing the direction of the interlayer printing strips, the anisotropy of the specimens in different paths was analyzed, and then the effect of different dosages of different fibers on the performance of 3D-printed glass bead insulation mortar was investigated by adding reinforcing materials. The results show that the path a specimen in the X direction’s compressive strength is the best; in the Y direction, flexural strength is the best; the path b specimen in the Y direction’s compressive strength is the best; in the Z direction, flexural strength is the best, but the compressive and flexural strengths are lower than the strength of the specimen without 3D printing (cast-in-place specimen); and adding reinforcing materials mortar not only has high strength but also has good printability and excellent thermal insulation. This paper provides a theoretical basis and reference value for the popularization and application of 3D printing thermal insulation mortar technology.