Expectations of Additive Manufacturing for the Decade 2020–2030

Abstract

Additive manufacturing became one of the most important manufacturing technologies in the last three decades. The freeform building capacity plays a relevant role on industrial applications where conventional manufacturing approaches are not technically or even not economically feasible. The development of advanced materials for AM is an ongoing process, providing a new competitive edge to AM technologies. Nowadays, AM plays an important role on the production of complex geometries for products of several domains, such as aerospace, automotive, medical among others, supported by high performance materials and increased efficiency AM processes. Distributed manufacturing supply chain also became a reality, enabling new business models and bridging the gap between product designers and end-users. Additionally, high levels of manufacturing automation, incorporating AM equipment as well as smart factories are emerging. At the middle of the 2020s decade, standardisation for materials, material testing and manufacturing processes started its appearance to establish ground-breaking standards to harmonize the use of additive manufacturing technologies worldwide. Now, on the edge of a new decade, a bright future for AM technologies can be foreseen. This paper presents the AM prospects for the next decade and its prospective impact on business and industrial production models.