The leading voice for the crushed stone, ready mixed concrete, sand and gravel, and cement industries' community.
PELA is a 10-month hybrid program with online and in-person educational sessions and networking opportunities.
Careers in the Aggregates, Concrete & Cement Industries
The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) is the industry’s unified voice, representing more than 200 member companies across the state.
Creating a unified and strong voice for our industry.
PACA monitors and analyzes local, state and federal regulations and advocates for a balanced approach by the regulators.
PACA builds a bridge between our members and our partners at PennDOT, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission along with Pennsylvania’s construction industry to further the use of our materials to the benefit of the commonwealth.
One of the most effective tools in government relations for an industry is a robust advocacy/grassroots strategy.
In the last legislative session, we contributed over $275,000 to our political champions.
November 2025 at Hotel Hershey in Hershey, PA (PACA members only event).
PACA offers comprehensive concrete certification programs for ACI, NRMCA, and PennDOT in the central Pennsylvania area.
Membership has its privileges - most of PACA's events are open to PACA members only.
PACA conducts numerous education and training events during the year.
Choose concrete for your next parking lot project.
Streets built with concrete are built to last, consider concrete for your next project.
Concrete's strong, resilient and the choice for your next building or bridge.
PACA works with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) to convert your parking lot or building project to concrete without hurting your bottom line.
PACA drives a member-approved strategic plan to increase market share and engages specifiers and owners on the value of concrete in their projects.
This program provides free continuing education to the design and specifying communities. There are currently four courses available, ranging from 30 minutes to 60 minutes focused on the cement, aggregates and concrete industries. You'll receive a certificate of completion once you pass a quiz. The bookmarking feature allows you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.
There are literally thousands of materials used in 3D printing. They also come in various forms: filaments, pellets, powders. resins, wires, pastes and gels. But, what if grout or a high-performance concrete mix poured forth from the nozzle? Well, it already is! 3D printed concrete (3DPC) is already making its presence felt. In fact, some analysts think it will become a billion-dollar industry by 2030.
In 3DPC, the printer nozzle’s path is pre-programmed via AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or similar programs. Material is laid down one layer at a time. For the sake of structural integrity, these layers must dry into a single homogenous unit. In the right applications, 3D concrete printing is quick, accurate, and efficient. Accordingly, it can reduce labor expenses. To fully realize prospective gains, training, monitoring, and precise mixing are essential.
One of the strengths of 3DPC is its integrative nature. It weaves everything together, from structural performance and geometric modeling to material preparation and construction. Green building initiatives also drive the growth of 3DPC. Construction waste, and therefore landfill impact, is minimal. The range of possibilities is impressive. 3D concrete printing can deliver inexpensive housing. It can also tackle intricate building designs common in upscale projects.
The 3DPC industry is expanding as it gains acceptance across the construction industry. It’s also growing because innovators continue to attempt novel applications.
General Electric already uses 3D printing to create metal parts for jet engines. Now, it intends to use high-performance concrete to 3D-print wind turbine bases. These resilient, relatively lightweight bases “could add as much as 80 meters – and possibly more – to the turbine’s height. Experts estimate that taller installations could increase output “by as much as 30%.
A 10,105 sq ft equestrian barn in Wellington, FL, is now one of the largest 3D printed structures on the planet. The $3 million facility features 16 stalls and a 2,100 sq ft circular, motorized horse walker. Florida-based Printed Farms used a COBOD BOD2 printer on the project. It features a steel truss framework that is readily sized up or down. To print a structure, polymer-fortified M68 Laticrete gets mixed with water and pumped to the printhead.
Printed Farms points to important advantages of 3D concrete printing. These include resilience, up to 100-yr longevity, minimized waste, and reduced labor. The equestrian barn was quite a step up for a company that printed its first home in 2021. That was a 1,525 sq ft residence in Tallahassee, FL.
The Mighty House concept features 3D-printed wall panels and roof components that ship flat to the job site. There, workers quickly bolt them together. Materials went through rounds of fire, water, and structural testing prior to approval.
Finally, consider Project Olympus, a project of Texas-based ICON. Engineers want to 3D-print structures on the moon using the 3,400-degree heat of a plasma torch to bond dust and rock fragments.
In many ways, 3DPC is still an embryonic construction method. Several factors currently inhibit wider adoption.
3DPC project developers often face a protracted approval process.
This is due in part to the fact that it often takes time for new construction tech to get incorporated into codes. 3D concrete printing is certainly no exception. Sometimes, 3DPC runs afoul of existing codes. For one project, 3DPC could not address code requirements for horizontal rebar.
The hurdles faced by 3DPC are analogous to those faced by mass timber construction. Challenges will resolve over time as this construction technique works its way into the building codes. As Printed Farms founder Jim Ritter sees it, “The more people print, the faster it becomes codified, the faster it becomes mainstream.”
Expandable steel trusses create a sturdy framework from which the print nozzle can work its wonders. There are limits as to how large the framework can get while remaining cost-effective.
It is inherently difficult to incorporate reinforcement into automated 3D concrete printing. Inadequate bonding between adjacent layers impacts the mechanical properties of printed buildings. As one researcher notes, “The layers introduce anisotropy and reduce the capacity to resist tensile and shear loads.”
Now, researchers propose the strategic insertion of U-shaped nails during printing. Two mm U-nails bridge the interlayer surfaces. The dowel effect increases both tensile strength (145%) and shear strength (220%).
According to Market Research Future, the global 3D concrete printing market is projected to grow at at a 55.60% CAGR, reaching $978.5 Million by 2030. For perspective, consider that the global ready-mix market is expected to reach about $900 billion by then. This means that, seven years from now, the 3D concrete printing market will be less than 1% of the ready-mix market.
More advanced robotic technologies will eventually increase 3DPC's precision and efficicacy. It will deploy more sustainable materials, including fiberglass-reinforced geopolymers. Finally, as size constraints diminish, a new array of infrastructure applications will emerge.
The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) uses this website to inform its members and the general public of developments in the concrete industry. The team at PACA welcomes any questions you may have about your concrete project. Please contact us at your convenience.
February 22, 2024
Proficient carbon calculations are increasingly important as “Buy Clean” legislation proliferates. New York and Colorado are among the states that now require carbon calcs for public projects. An estimated 40% of emissions are from the built environment. According to one estimate, the planet’s total building floor area will double by 2060. This makes the concrete industry a key player in the quest for net-zero emissions products and projects.
February 15, 2024
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) notes that cement production is “so carbon intensive that even though cement makes up less than 15% of concrete by weight, it accounts for 90% of concrete’s carbon footprint.” The use of fossil fuels to fire cement kilns is a key source of these carbon emissions.
February 08, 2024
In the quest for reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, everyone has a role to play. In the concrete industry, this includes everyone from manufacturers to contractors, and from trade associations to governments. Here is a review of some of the major initiatives impacting concrete’s sustainability.
February 01, 2024
Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) requires high-temperature calcination of limestone. It is possible to use various emissions-reducing pozzolans in concrete. Fly ash comes from coal-fired power plants. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) comes from steel mills. Another SCM is metakaolin derived from kaolin.
The program is delivered in one (1) module and it should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. You will receive a certificate of completion once you pass the quiz. The bookmarking feature will allow you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.