To read this content please select one of the options below:

A review of Industry 4.0 and additive manufacturing synergy

Mahyar Khorasani (School of Engineering, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia)
Jennifer Loy (School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia)
Amir Hossein Ghasemi (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran)
Elmira Sharabian (CSIRO Manufacturing, Clayton, Australia and School of Engineering, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia)
Martin Leary (School of Engineering, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia)
Hamed Mirafzal (School of Engineering, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia)
Peter Cochrane (AI Centre Sentient Systems Research, EAST, University of Suffolk, Ipswich, UK)
Bernard Rolfe (School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia)
Ian Gibson (Fraunhofer Project Centre, Department of Design, Production and Management, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands)

Rapid Prototyping Journal

ISSN: 1355-2546

Article publication date: 19 April 2022

Issue publication date: 2 August 2022

1262

Abstract

Purpose

This paper reviews the synergy of Industry 4.0 and additive manufacturing (AM) and discusses the integration of data-driven manufacturing systems and product service systems as a key component of the Industry 4.0 revolution. This paper aims to highlight the potential effects of Industry 4.0 on AM via tools such as digitalisation, data transfer, tagging technology, information in Industry 4.0 and intelligent features.

Design/methodology/approach

In successive phases of industrialisation, there has been a rise in the use of, and dependence on, data in manufacturing. In this review of Industry 4.0 and AM, the five pillars of success that could see the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, robotics and materials science enabling new levels of interactivity and interdependence between suppliers, producers and users are discussed. The unique effects of AM capabilities, in particular mass customisation and light-weighting, combined with the integration of data and IoT in Industry 4.0, are studied for their potential to support higher efficiencies, greater utility and more ecologically friendly production. This research also illustrates how the digitalisation of manufacturing for Industry 4.0, through the use of IoT and AM, enables new business models and production practices.

Findings

The discussion illustrates the potential of combining IoT and AM to provide an escape from the constraints and limitations of conventional mass production whilst achieving economic and ecological savings. It should also be noted that this extends to the agile design and fabrication of increasingly complex parts enabled by simulations of complex production processes and operating systems. This paper also discusses the relationship between Industry 4.0 and AM with respect to improving the quality and robustness of product outcomes, based on real-time data/feedback.

Originality/value

This research shows how a combined approach to research into IoT and AM can create a step change in practice that alters the production and supply paradigm, potentially reducing the ecological impact of industrial systems and product life cycle. This paper demonstrates how the integration of Industry 4.0 and AM could reshape the future of manufacturing and discusses the challenges involved.

Keywords

Citation

Khorasani, M., Loy, J., Ghasemi, A.H., Sharabian, E., Leary, M., Mirafzal, H., Cochrane, P., Rolfe, B. and Gibson, I. (2022), "A review of Industry 4.0 and additive manufacturing synergy", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 28 No. 8, pp. 1462-1475. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-08-2021-0194

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles