Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing has revolutionized the manufacturing world through its rapid and geometrically-intricate capabilities as well as economic benefits. Countless businesses in automotive, aerospace, medical, and even food industries have adopted this approach over the past decade. Though this revolution has sparked widespread innovation with single material usage, the manufacturing world is constantly evolving. 3D printers now have the capability to create multi-material systems with performance improvements in user-definable locations. This means throughout a single component, properties like hardness, corrosion resistance, and environmental adaptation can be defined in areas that require it the most. These new processes allow for exciting multifunctional parts to be built that were never possible through traditional, single material AM processes. AM of metals, ceramics, and polymers is currently being evaluated to combine multiple materials in one operation and has already produced never-before-produced parts. While multi-material AM is still in its infancy, researchers are shifting their mindset toward this unique approach showing that the technology is beginning to advance past a research and development stage into real-world applications. This review is intended to highlight the range of 3D printed polymer-based, metal-metal, and metal-ceramic applications while discussing advantages and challenges with additively manufactured multi-material structures.
Abstract The applications of Additive Manufacturing (AM) have been grown up rapidly in various industries in the past few decades. Among them, aerospace has been attracted more attention due to heavy investment of the principal aviation companies for developing the AM industrial applications. However, many studies have been going on to make it more versatile and safer technology and require making development in novel materials, technologies, process design, and cost efficiency. As a matter of fact, AM has a great potential to make a revolution in the global parts manufacturing and distribution while offering less complexity, lower cost, and energy consumption, and very highly customization. The current paper aims to review the last updates on AM technologies, material issues, post-processes, and design aspects, particularly in the aviation industry. Moreover, the AM process is investigated economically including various cost models, spare part digitalization and environmental consequences. This review would be helpfully applied in both academia and industry as well.
Abstract Manufacturing industries and investors are always seeking to improve techniques to lower cost, energy and expand their capability. Additive manufacturing, started in the 1960s, has since had a rapid and continuous growth, bringing to light novel techniques to expand manufacturing capability and reinvent the wheel. At this stage, research and industry interest lie in determining where AM can replace or create new manufacturing systems. Traditional manufacturing refers to subtractive and long-established manufacturing methods, quality assured and implemented in the commercial space. This paper reviews the capability of AM and its current development to compete or add to established traditional manufacturing regions. Literature reveals the capability of AM to fit into established manufacturing regions for low and high production volume products. The paper comparison focuses on the similarities, differences, advantages and disadvantages found in AM vs SM studying the economic and quality management status of the industry today.
Abstract The aim of this article is to analyze and review the scientific literature relating to the application of Augmented Reality (AR) technology in industry. AR technology is becoming increasingly diffuse, due to the ease of application development and the widespread use of hardware devices (mainly smartphones and tablets) able to support its adoption. Today, a growing number of applications based on AR solutions are being developed for industrial purposes. Although these applications are often little more than experimental prototypes, AR technology is proving highly flexible and is showing great potential in numerous areas (e.g., maintenance, training/learning, assembly or product design) and in industrial sectors (e.g., the automotive, aircraft or manufacturing industries). It is expected that AR systems will become even more widespread in the near future. The purpose of this review is to classify the literature on AR published from 2006 to early 2017, to identify the main areas and sectors where AR is currently deployed, describe the technological solutions adopted, as well as the main benefits achievable with this kind of technology.
Abstract In today's competitive world, globalization touches all industries. The open innovation (OI) paradigm has garnered increasing importance in academic research and industrial applications. Considering this interest, this paper aims to synthetize up-to-date findings, outline the intellectual structure of OI within the manufacturing research domain, and suggest a future research agenda. Building upon the content analysis of 239 articles indexed in Web of Science and Scopus databases, using homogeneity analysis by means of alternating least squares (HOMALS), this study reveals the theoretical underpinnings, research trends, and methodologies of this research field. Our analysis revealed that the study of sustainability, commitment-based human resource practices, and Industry 4.0 (I40) represent important future research streams for OI in the manufacturing industry. In collaborating throughout the supply chain, manufacturing firms could minimize production waste, ensure better working conditions, and adapt business models. In the “new normal” posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to study the effects of managerial competencies, employee training and development, and reward systems on open cultures in manufacturing firms. This study goes on to outline research opportunities in I40, particularly regarding knowledge exchange and technology transfer among partners and OI's influence on the adoption of I40 technologies.
Abstract Mass customization and personalization are the significant implications of Industry 4.0. Even though additive manufacturing (AM) technologies possess the capability to personalize final products, they cannot be used for mass production of the 3D printed job on a large scale. Their inability to perform production processes for large-sized objects adds to the disadvantages. Consequently, the industries are hesitant regarding the idea of AM techniques to carry out commercial productions. Therefore, this research-based study aims to efficiently identify and utilize Industry 4.0 technologies to improve AM processes' reliability and mass 3D print smart materials for manufacturers globally. We explore the requirement for Industry 4.0 technologies for AM processes and study the advantages of the application of information technologies (IT) in AM. Further, we analyze how the Internet of Things (IoT) additive manufacturing integrated techniques will benefit the industries and material manufacturers. However, the paperwork is confined to theoretical work. Since automation in AM is a fledgling concept, the available material for research-based study is limited. We conclude that IoT application in AM improves production processes' efficiency followed by reduced manufacturing waste and fulfilled customer specifications. AM has become an essential industrial technique for product innovation and development, therefore, it is necessary to bring reforms to make this technology customer-friendly.
A comprehensive understanding of the relationships among carbon emissions, the industrial structure and economic growth holds great significance for China's transition to a low-carbon economy, industrial structure optimization, and achievement of energy conservation and emission reduction targets. We selected six major industrial sectors (agriculture, industry, construction, transportation, retail and accommodation and other industries) as research objects, introduced the extended STIRPAT decomposition model, Tapio decoupling model and the grey relation analysis to discuss the relationship among the three. Results showed that (i) since 2000, the proportions of value added of agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation are negatively correlated with carbon emissions, while those of construction, retail and accommodation, and other industries are positively correlated with carbon emissions. (ii) The overall economic growth and carbon emissions of these six major industries have experienced the process of decoupling-coupling-decoupling-coupling-decoupling. (iii) The relevance of these six industries to GDP is ranked as follows: transportation > manufacturing > retail andaccommodation > agriculture > construction > other industries. Additionally, accelerating the achievement of a clean energy structure, strengthening the strength and speed of industrial structure adjustment and reducing the dependence on fossil energy are the key steps for China to reach carbon emissions peak goal.
Abstract Industry 4.0 revolution has brought rapid technological growth and development in manufacturing industries. Technological development enables efficient manufacturing processes and brings changes in human work, which may cause new threats to employee well-being and challenge their existing skills and knowledge. Human factors and ergonomics (HF/E) is a scientific discipline to optimize simultaneously overall system performance and human well-being in different work contexts. The aim of this scoping review is to describe the state-of-the-art of the HF/E research related to the industry 4.0 context in manufacturing. A systematic search found 336 research articles, of which 37 were analysed utilizing a human-centric work system framework presented in the HF/E literature. Challenges related to technological development were analysed in micro- and macroergonomics work system frameworks. Based on the review we frame characteristics of an organisation level maturity model to optimize overall sociotechnical work system performance in the context of rapid technological development in manufacturing industries.
Amorphous silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) are abundant within the earth’s crust and can be released into the air through industrial and manufacturing activities. Such materials are often used in industrial processes, in pharmaceutical and in the cosmetic industries. Amorphous SiO2 NPs are pulmonary toxicants; however, the mechanism of toxicity is uncertain. In the current study, toxicity of SiO2 NPs was assessed using inhalation exposure in an in vivo system to study a possible mechanism of pulmonary injury. Golden Syrian Hamsters were divided into 4 groups: 1- room air control, 2- vehicle control, 3- low concentration (6 mg/m3) and 4- high concentration (12 mg/m3). Hamsters were treated for 4 h a day for 8 days. Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid (BALF) analysis found increases in total cell counts (p < 0.0001), neutrophils (p < 0.0001), lymphocytes (p < 0.001), eosinophils (p < 0.01), multinucleated macrophages (p < 0.01), total protein (p < 0.0001), alkaline phosphatase (p < 0.0001), and lactate dehydrogenase (p < 0.001) in the high concentration group. Histopathological analysis found an increase in air space, quantified by Mean Linear Intercept (p < 0.0001), and a significant increase in TUNEL positive cells (p < 0.001), in the high concentration group. SEM and TEM found structural alterations to the lung tissue including increase in the number holes in the alveolar walls and in apoptotic bodies within tissue. Caspase 3 (p < 0.05), and 8 (p < 0.05), were significantly increased along with cellular inflammation markers TNF-α (p < 0.05), and HSP70 (p < 0.05) in the high concentration group. Results of the study indicate exposure to SiO2 NPs may induce extrinsic apoptotic pathway, leading to tissue damage and significant airspace enlargement.
Matteo Ferrazzi, Federica Costa, Stefano Frecassetti
et al.
The growing urgency to tackle environmental challenges has prompted an expansion of Lean management to include environmental sustainability performance. However, there is a lack of research exploring how specific Lean manufacturing practices interact to enhance the environmental performance of manufacturing firms. This study investigates cause-effect relationships among Lean manufacturing practices for improving environmental performance, focusing on the textile/apparel and Food sectors. Based on current literature, “hard” and “soft” Lean practices were identified and divided into four bundles. Utilizing the fuzzy DEMATEL methodology, the cause-effect relationships of Lean manufacturing practices are analyzed. The results reveal five distinct areas of Lean manufacturing practices, highlighting their interconnectedness. This article shows the dependency relationships among various Lean manufacturing practices for better environmental performance. In particular, it shows the enabler role that soft practices have across the two industries analyzed. It also shows how the manufacturing sector is a factor that modifies the relationships between hard practices. In conclusion, this study can guide manufacturing companies willing to implement the Lean socio-technical system to shift to more environmentally sustainable production models.
Systems engineering, Marketing. Distribution of products
Additive Manufacturing (AM), widely known as 3D printing, has evolved from a prototyping tool to a transformative technology impacting aerospace, automotive, construction, and consumer goods industries. This review explores recent advancements in AM materials, processes, and applications that enhance its functionality and support sustainable manufacturing. Key innovations include high-performance composites such as carbon fiber-reinforced polymers, nanomaterials like graphene-based inks, and biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA). In addition, the integration of multi-material and hybrid printing has expanded AM’s applicability in precision manufacturing. These developments enable AM to meet stringent requirements across critical industries, improving customization, production efficiency, and environmental impact. Despite its potential, AM faces challenges related to material durability, process consistency, standardization, scalability, and energy consumption. Addressing these issues demands ongoing research in advanced materials, process optimization, and sustainable practices, with an emphasis on integrating AM into Industry 4.0 and distributed manufacturing. This study concludes by identifying future research directions focused on AM’s role in driving mass customization, circular economy practices, and industrial-scale applications, establishing it as a foundational technology in modern manufacturing.
Azadeh Kazemi, Giuseppe T. Cirella, Amir Hedayatiaghmashhadi
et al.
This research investigates the complex interplay between urban heat island (UHI) and urban pollution island in the context of rapid urbanization. Using remote-sensed land surface temperature (LST), the UHI is categorized into five intensity levels. Air pollution monitoring in Arak city, including green spaces, roads, and industrial areas, combines in situ and remote sensing observations for a comprehensive 2019–2020 seasonal analysis. Findings reveal distinct surface UHI patterns, peaking in spring near highly industrialized areas with low greenery and high nitrogen compounds. A significant correlation between LST and pollutant levels is observed in summer in areas with both roads and industrial facilities. Industrial zones consistently exhibit higher LST intensity than green spaces throughout the year. Fall and winter analyses show unique pollution patterns, with sulfur dioxide concentrations peaking near roads in fall due to traffic congestion, and higher nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide levels in areas with limited green spaces. These observations underscore the intricate relationship between surface UHI and pollutant concentrations, highlighting the multifaceted nature of urban environmental dynamics across diverse seasons and land-use categories.
Focusing on China’s machinery manufacturing industry, this analysis assesses green financing mechanisms’ impact on corporate innovation in electrical equipment production..Due to the background of implementation of green credit issued by China in 2012, Select the data of 33 listed electrical machinery and equipment manufacturers in 2008-2020 to build a fixed-effect panel model with the number of patents as the explanatory variables, the policy dummy variables (bordered in 2012) as the core explanatory variables, and control factors such as enterprise scale and financial indicators. The research found that the patent output in a short period of time has not been improved by policy, indicating that the effect of the policy is lagging or the enterprise needs to adjust the research and development direction for a longer time; Accordingly, it is proposed to optimize the policy design to strengthen long-term incentives, improve the information disclosure mechanism, unify environmental performance standards, reduce the asymmetry of bank-enterprise information, and help the industry’s green transformation. The research provides an empirical basis for improving the green finance policy and stimulating the innovation vitality of technology-intensive industries