Hydraulic tunnels are critical components to modern infrastructures, supporting urban development, water resource security, and flood control. Traditional construction methods face challenges such as high costs, safety risks, and environmental inefficiencies. Robotic arm-based 3D printing, the robust technology for tunnel lining proposed herein, is a crucial branch of additive manufacturing, distinguished by its multi-degree-of-freedom motion and process flexibility, enabling creation of complex geometries, adaptability to confined tunnel environments, and reduction in material waste. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of robotic arm-based 3D printing, focusing on hardware design, coordination control and quality monitoring. Simultaneously, the challenges in robotic arm-based 3D printing issues are explored, such as insufficient control precision, trajectory optimization for complex environments, and the need for improved monitoring techniques. The integration of advanced algorithms, artificial intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT) is proposed as a pathway to address these barriers, enabling real-time adaptation to geological changes and predictive maintenance. In the Future, robotic arm 3D printing is poised to drive construction towards high efficiency, sustainability, and automation, paving the path for a transformative impact on the construction industry.