The Potential of Additive Manufacturing in the Smart Factory Industrial 4.0: A Review

• Main Authors: Mehrshad Mehrpouya, Amir Dehghanghadikolaei, Behzad Fotovvati, Alireza Vosooghnia, Sattar S. Emamian, Annamaria Gisario
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-09-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: smart manufacturing; industry 4.0; additive manufacturing; 3D printing; industrial sustainability
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/18/3865

Additive manufacturing (AM) or three-dimensional (3D) printing has introduced a novel production method in design, manufacturing, and distribution to end-users. This technology has provided great freedom in design for creating complex components, highly customizable products, and efficient waste minimization. The last industrial revolution, namely industry 4.0, employs the integration of smart manufacturing systems and developed information technologies. Accordingly, AM plays a principal role in industry 4.0 thanks to numerous benefits, such as time and material saving, rapid prototyping, high efficiency, and decentralized production methods. This review paper is to organize a comprehensive study on AM technology and present the latest achievements and industrial applications. Besides that, this paper investigates the sustainability dimensions of the AM process and the added values in economic, social, and environment sections. Finally, the paper concludes by pointing out the future trend of AM in technology, applications, and materials aspects that have the potential to come up with new ideas for the future of AM explorations.