Industry 4.0 Vision for the Supply of Energy and Materials

13 Additive Manufacturing A Game-Changing Paradigm in Manufacturing and Supply Chains

Mojtaba Molla-Hosseini^a, Marjan Hosseini^b, Gholamreza Vossoughi^a, and Mahdi Sharifzadehc^c,*

^a Mechanical Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran^b Civil Engineering Department, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran^a Sharif Energy, Water and Environment Institute (SEWEI), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran^* Corresponding author. Sharif Energy, Water and Environment Institute (SEWEI), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

13.1 The Additive Manufacturing Concept

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, is defined as a process in which materials are joined to make a 3D structure. This process is usually performed layer upon layer in three dimensions. This technology is further extended to the so-called four-dimensional (4D) printing in which time is also added as the fourth dimension. Nonetheless, the basic concept of both 3D and 4D printing is the same. The key feature of 4D printing technologies is the ability to utilize programmable smart materials, as their shape changes over time under an external stimulus, such as water and heat [1, 2]. The smart materials will be discussed. A photo of a 3D printer is shown in Figure 13.1 [3].

Figure 13.1 A Photo of a 3D Printer [3], figure 1b (p.03) / with permission of JOHN WILEY ...