Additive (nano)manufacturing perspectives: the use of nanofillers and tailored materials

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) is identified to cost-effectively lower manufacturing inputs and outputs in small batch production, widely employed in customized and high-value manufacturing chains, such as aerospace and medical component manufacturing. Additive manufacturing has the potential to significantly lower life cycle energy demands of products and their CO 2 emissions. Moreover, AM holds promise of overturning many aspects of the economics of manufacturing, as it pays no heed to unit labour costs or traditional economies of scale. Advances in AM technology are yielding faster production times and enabling objects to be printed in multiple combinations of materials, colours and surface finishes. A significant portion of these advances lie on the development of advanced materials for AM processes, which is undeniably one of the main driving forces of the transition from Rapid Prototyping to the Direct Digital Manufacturing era. Industries are nowadays at the inflection point for AM technologies, which have moved from a much-hyped but largely unproven manufacturing processes, to a mature technological solution, with numerous competitive advantages and the ability to produce real, innovative, complex and robust products.