3D printing towards implementing Industry 4.0: sustainability aspects, barriers and challenges

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abrar Malik ◽  
Mir Irfan Ul Haq ◽  
Ankush Raina ◽  
Kapil Gupta

Purpose Environmental degradation has emerged as one of the major limitations of industrial revolution and has led to an increased focus towards developing sustainable strategies and techniques. This paper aims to highlight the sustainability aspects of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology that helps towards a better implementation of Industry 4.0. It also aims to provide a brief picture of relationships between 3D printing, Industry 4.0 and sustainability. The major goal is to facilitate the researchers, scholars, engineers and recommend further research, development and innovations in the field. Design/methodology/approach The various enabling factors for implementation of Industry 4.0 are discussed in detail. Some barriers to incorporation of 3D Printing, its applications areas and global market scenario are also discussed. A through literature review has been done to study the detailed relationships between 3D printing, Industry 4.0 and sustainability. Findings The technological benefits of 3D printing are many such as weight savings, waste minimization and energy savings. Further, the production of new 3D printable materials with improved features helps in reducing the wastage of material during the process. 3D printing if used at a large scale would help industries to implement the concept of Industry 4.0. Originality/value This paper focuses on discussing technological revolution under Industry 4.0 and incorporates 3D printing-type technologies that largely change the product manufacturing scenario. The interrelationships between 3D printing, Industry 4.0 and sustainability have been discussed.

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 5-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael E. Elrod

Purpose Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a growing field for many professionals, including those in education. The purpose of this paper is to briefly review various ways in which 3D printing is being used to enhance classroom learning in the K-12 environment and to highlight how one academic library is supporting that endeavor. Design/methodology/approach According to “3D Printing Market in Education”, which reports on the anticipated development of 3D printing in the educational market for 2015-2019, 3D printing is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 45 per cent (Business Wire). Findings In 2012, an article in The Economist declared 3D printing “the third industrial revolution”. The following year, President Obama, in his State of the Union address lauded 3D printing saying, “A once shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the-art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything” (Gross, 2013). Originality/value In China, 3D printer manufacturer Tiertime estimates that “90 per cent of its domestic market share comes from school laboratories, which need desktop 3D printers so students can learn, experience and design” (China taps 3D printing consumer market, 2015).


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 740-757
Author(s):  
Ilona Dumanska ◽  
Dmytro Vasylkivskyi ◽  
Igor Zhurba ◽  
Yana Pukhalska ◽  
Olha Matviiets ◽  
...  

The article reveals the content of Industry 4.0 technologies in the subsystems of international trade. The destructive type of innovations of the fourth industrial revolution on traditional spheres of trade is defined. The types of modern innovations related to the technologies of Industry 4.0 and form competitive advantages in successful global brands are identified and characterized, they are reviewed for the presence of common features inherent in its technologies and innovations in general. The influence of Industry 4.0 on the stages of introduction of the innovation process in international trade is analysed. It is established that at the stage of experimental implementation of innovations, omnichannel logistics, drones, and 3D printing have a high level of influence, which are trends in the miniaturization of the economy and the concept of «smart enterprise». An analysis of the impact of the trend of changes from Industry 4.0 innovations in international trade through the impact on consumer behavior and the functioning of business models of enterprises. The expediency of introduction of drones in the aspect of expansion of sales channels and receipt of goods on the basis of the omnichannel approach of increase of volumes of the international trade is proved. Existing and perspective spheres of application of drone logistics are analysed. A positive effect in terms of optimizing the cost of maintaining employees through the use of drones on the example of warehousing and fast delivery of goods to order. The problem of large-scale introduction of drones to exacerbate the issue of replacing workers in entire industries with artificial intelligence and the need to learn new professions is outlined. The influence of additive production on international trade by introduction of 3D printing technology is analysed, the spheres of its application and consequences of introduction are defined. The reality of the scenario forecast of development of 3D printing and its influence on subsystems of the international trade, chains of delivery of the goods, formation of stocks of raw materials and materials is considered. The possible consequences of the application of 3D printing technology for the field of intellectual property are described. It is proved that the key catalysts of Industry 4.0 at the level of international trade are innovations in the form of attracting drones to logistics supply and marketing systems and inventory optimization by expanding the scope of 3D reproduction techniques.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 1551-1571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Xia

Purpose The main purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive upscale theory of the thermo-mechanical coupling particle simulation for three-dimensional (3D) large-scale non-isothermal problems, so that a small 3D length-scale particle model can exactly reproduce the same mechanical and thermal results with that of a large 3D length-scale one. Design/methodology/approach The objective is achieved by following the scaling methodology proposed by Feng and Owen (2014). Findings After four basic physical quantities and their similarity-ratios are chosen, the derived quantities and its similarity-ratios can be derived from its dimensions. As the proposed comprehensive 3D upscale theory contains five similarity criteria, it reveals the intrinsic relationship between the particle-simulation solution obtained from a small 3D length-scale (e.g. a laboratory length-scale) model and that obtained from a large 3D length-scale (e.g. a geological length-scale) one. The scale invariance of the 3D interaction law in the thermo-mechanical coupled particle model is examined. The proposed 3D upscale theory is tested through two typical examples. Finally, a practical application example of 3D transient heat flow in a solid with constant heat flux is given to illustrate the performance of the proposed 3D upscale theory in the thermo-mechanical coupling particle simulation of 3D large-scale non-isothermal problems. Both the benchmark tests and application example are provided to demonstrate the correctness and usefulness of the proposed 3D upscale theory for simulating 3D non-isothermal problems using the particle simulation method. Originality/value The paper provides some important theoretical guidance to modeling 3D large-scale non-isothermal problems at both the engineering length-scale (i.e. the meter-scale) and the geological length-scale (i.e. the kilometer-scale) using the particle simulation method directly.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sapam Ningthemba Singh ◽  
Vavilada Satya Swamy Venkatesh ◽  
Ashish Bhalchandra Deoghare

Purpose During the COVID-19 pandemic, the three-dimensional (3D) printing community is actively participating to address the supply chain gap of essential medical supplies such as face masks, face shields, door adapters, test swabs and ventilator valves. This paper aims to present a comprehensive study on the role of 3D printing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, its safety and its challenges. Design/methodology/approach This review paper focuses on the applications of 3D printing in the fight against COVID-19 along with the safety and challenges associated with 3D printing to fight COVID-19. The literature presented in this paper is collected from the journal indexing engines including Scopus, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, PubMed, Web of Science, etc. The main keywords used for searches were 3D printing COVID-19, Safety of 3D printed parts, Sustainability of 3D printing, etc. Further possible iterations of the keywords were used to collect the literature. Findings The applications of 3D printing in the fight against COVID-19 are 3D printed face masks, shields, ventilator valves, test swabs, drug deliveries and hands-free door adapters. As most of these measures are implemented hastily, the safety and reliability of these parts often lacked approval. The safety concerns include the safety of the printed parts, operators and secondary personnel such as the workers in material preparation and transportation. The future challenges include sustainability of the process, long term supply chain, intellectual property and royalty-free models, etc. Originality/value This paper presents a comprehensive study on the applications of 3D printing in the fight against COVID-19 with emphasis on the safety and challenges in it.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangwei Wang ◽  
Peilun Lv ◽  
Jian Li ◽  
Liying Yu ◽  
Guodong Yuan ◽  
...  

Purpose This paper aims to propose a suitable atomizing solidification chitosan (CS) gel liquid extrusion molding technology for the three dimensional (3D) printing method, and experiments verify the feasibility of this method. Design/methodology/approach This paper mainly uses experimental means, combined with theoretical research. The preparation method, solidification forming method and 3D printing method of CS gel solution were studied. The CS gel printing mechanism and printing error sources are analyzed on the basis of the CS gel ink printing results, printing performance with different ratios of components by constructing a gel print prototype, experiments evaluating the CS gel printing technology and the effects of the process parameters on the scaffold formation. Findings CS printing ink was prepared; the optimal formula was found; the 3 D printing experiment of CS was completed; the optimal printing parameters were obtained; and the reliability of the forming prototype, printing ink and gel printing process was verified, which allowed for the possibility to apply the 3 D printing technology to the manufacturing of a CS gel structure. Originality/value This study can provide theoretical and technical support for the potential application of CS 3 D printed gels in tissue engineering.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuezong Wang ◽  
Jinghui Liu ◽  
Mengfei Guo ◽  
LiuQIan Wang

Purpose A three-dimensional (3D) printing error simulation approach is proposed to analyze the influence of tilted vertical beams on the 3D printing accuracy. The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of such errors on printing accuracy and printing quality for delta-robot 3D printer. Design/methodology/approach First, the kinematic model of a delta-robot 3D printer with an ideal geometric structure is proposed by using vector analysis. Then, the normal kinematic model of a nonideal delta-robot 3D robot with tilted vertical beams is derived based on the above ideal kinematic model. Finally, a 3D printing error simulation approach is proposed to analyze the influence of tilted vertical beams on the 3D printing accuracy. Findings The results show that tilted vertical beams can indeed cause 3D printing errors and further influence the 3D printing quality of the final products and that the 3D printing errors of tilted vertical beams are related to the rotation angles of the tilted vertical beams. The larger the rotation angles of the tilted vertical beams are, the greater the geometric deformations of the printed structures. Originality/value Three vertical beams and six horizontal beams constitute the supporting parts of the frame of a delta-robot 3D printer. In this paper, the orientations of tilted vertical beams are shown to have a significant influence on 3D printing accuracy. However, the effect of tilted vertical beams on 3D printing accuracy is difficult to capture by instruments. To reveal the 3D printing error mechanisms under the condition of tilted vertical beams, the error generation mechanism and the quantitative influence of tilted vertical beams on 3D printing accuracy are studied by simulating the parallel motion mechanism of a delta-robot 3D printer with tilted vertical beams.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Holger Schiele ◽  
Anna Bos-Nehles ◽  
Vincent Delke ◽  
Peter Stegmaier ◽  
Robbert-Jan Torn

Purpose Industrial revolutions have been induced by technological advances, but fundamentally changed business and society. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the fourth industrial revolution (I4.0) and derive guidelines for business strategy, it is, therefore, necessary to explore it as a multi-facet phenomenon. Most literature on I4.0, however, takes up a predominantly technical view. This paper aims to report on a project discussing a holistic view on I4.0 and its implications, covering technology, business, society and people. Design/methodology/approach Two consecutive group discussions in form of academic world cafés have been conducted. The first workshop gathered multi-disciplinary experts from academia, whose results were further validated in a subsequent workshop including industry representatives. A voting procedure was used to capture participants perspectives. Findings The paper develops a holistic I4.0 vision, focusing on five core technologies, their business potential, societal requests and people implications. Based on the model a checklist has been developed, which firms can use a tool to analyze their firm’s situation and draft their industry 4.0 business strategy. Originality/value Rather than focusing on technology alone – which by itself is unlikely to make up for a revolution – this research integrates the entire system. In this way, a tool-set for strategy design results.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 496-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataraj Poomathi ◽  
Sunpreet Singh ◽  
Chander Prakash ◽  
Rajkumar V. Patil ◽  
P.T. Perumal ◽  
...  

Purpose Bioprinting is a promising technology, which has gained a recent attention, for application in all aspects of human life and has specific advantages in different areas of medicines, especially in ophthalmology. The three-dimensional (3D) printing tools have been widely used in different applications, from surgical planning procedures to 3D models for certain highly delicate organs (such as: eye and heart). The purpose of this paper is to review the dedicated research efforts that so far have been made to highlight applications of 3D printing in the field of ophthalmology. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the state-of-the-art review has been summarized for bioprinters, biomaterials and methodologies adopted to cure eye diseases. This paper starts with fundamental discussions and gradually leads toward the summary and future trends by covering almost all the research insights. For better understanding of the readers, various tables and figures have also been incorporated. Findings The usages of bioprinted surgical models have shown to be helpful in shortening the time of operation and decreasing the risk of donor, and hence, it could boost certain surgical effects. This demonstrates the wide use of bioprinting to design more precise biological research models for research in broader range of applications such as in generating blood vessels and cardiac tissue. Although bioprinting has not created a significant impact in ophthalmology, in recent times, these technologies could be helpful in treating several ocular disorders in the near future. Originality/value This review work emphasizes the understanding of 3D printing technologies, in the light of which these can be applied in ophthalmology to achieve successful treatment of eye diseases.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 965-984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Bienhaus ◽  
Abubaker Haddud

Purpose While digitisation is a key driver of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0); organisations have different approaches to deal with this topic to get a clearer picture of the opportunities and challenges concerning the digital transformation. The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of digitisation on procurement and its role within the area of supply chain management. The research will also explore potential barriers to digitising procurement and supply chains and ways to overcome them. Finally, the significance of potential enabling technologies to the digitisation will also be examined. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approached utilising an online survey was used to collect the primary data for this study. Data were collected from 414 participants directly involved with procurement or related business functions and work for different organisations in different industries. The survey included eight items about the impact of digitisation on organisational performance in the area of procurement and supply chains; ten items related to key barriers to digitisation of organisations and ways to overcome them; and seven items about enabling technologies to leverage procurement procedures and processes digitisation. All of these items utilised the Likert five-point level of agreement scale. Findings The findings indicate that digitisation of procurement process can yield several benefits including: supporting daily business and administrative tasks, supporting complex decision-making processes, procurement will become more focussed on strategic decisions and activities, procurement will become a strategic interface to support organisational efficiency, effectiveness, and profitability, and supporting the creation of new business models, products, and services. The authors were also able to confirm that there are barriers to digitising procurement process and supply chains and such barriers found in existing procedures, processes, capacities, and capabilities. Finally, the significance of a number of enabling technologies to the digitisation process was revealed. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind with participants located world-wide. Industry 4.0 as a topic had been explored within different business areas and functions but very limited research specifically explored potential impact, barriers, and enabling technologies of procurement 4.0. The results can be beneficial for organisations already implemented Industry 4.0 or planning to do so. The study can also benefit academic scholars interested in the researched topic, business professionals, organisations within different sectors, and any other party interested in understanding more the concept of procurement 4.0.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 801-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuran Jin ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
R. Ian Campbell ◽  
Shoufeng Ji

Purpose 3D printing is believed to be driving the third industrial revolution. However, a scientometric visualizing of 3D printing research and an exploration its hotspots and emerging trends are lacking. This study aims to promote the theory development of 3D printing, help researchers to determine the research direction and provide a reference for enterprises and government to plan the development of 3D printing industry by a comprehensive understanding of the hotspots and trends of 3D printing. Design/methodology/approach Based on the theory of scientometrics, 2,769 literatures on the 3D printing theme were found in the Web of Science Core Collection’ Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) index between 1995-2016. These were analyzed to explore the research hotspots and emerging trends of 3D printing with the software CiteSpaceIII. Findings Hotspots had appeared first in 1993, grew rapidly from 2005 and peaked in 2013; hotspots in the “medical field” appeared earliest and have remained extremely active; hotspots have evolved from “drug”, “printer”, “rapid prototyping” and “3D printing” in the 1990s, through “laser-induced consolidation”, “scaffolds”, “sintering” and “metal matrix composites” in the 2000s, to the current hotspots of “stereolithography”, “laser additive manufacturing”, “medical images”; “3D bioprinting”, “titanium”, “Cstem cell” and “chemical reaction” were the emerging hotspots in recent years; “Commercial operation” and “fusion with emerging technology such as big data” may create future hotspots. Research limitations/implications It is hard to avoid the possibility of missing important research results on 3D printing. The relevant records could be missing if the query phrases for topic search do not appear in records. Besides, to improve the quality of data, this study selected articles and reviews as the research objects, which may also omit some records. Originality/value First, this is the first paper visualizing the hotspots and emerging trends of 3D printing using scientometric tools. Second, not only “burst reference” and “burst keywords” but also “cluster” and “landmark article” are selected as the evaluation factors to judge the hotspots and trends of a domain comprehensively. Third, overall perspective of hotspots and trends of 3D printing is put forward for the first time.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document