| Abstract Scope |
The rapidly increasing global population and urgent need for improved living standards is leading to a dramatic increase in the consumption of resources and rate of pollution creating the risk of irreversible changes in the ecosystem. In response, the integration of new materials and innovative manufacturing technologies into product supply chains are needed to address human and societal needs and to promote sustainable development and economic competitiveness. Recently, there has been tremendous growth in the additive manufacturing (AM) landscape with the introduction of commercially available high end machines suitable for industrial applications. In addition, availability of desktop 3-D printers as well as open source printers and platforms have facilitated the large scale growth of distributed digital manufacturing. The paradigm shift in thinking, where one can turn their design into product on demand, is leading to new business models and challenging traditional models of product development and distribution.
In this presentation, an overview of different AM technologies will be provided along with technical challenges and opportunities. Various examples of materials (polymers, ceramics, metals, hybrids, and multi material systems) and structures achieved from utilizing a wide variety of additive manufacturing approaches will be provided. Technical challenges and opportunities for the utilization of additive manufacturing as a powerful enabler for sustainable development and disruptive technological threat to global supply chains for different materials and systems will be presented. |