Impacts of additive manufacturing to sustainable urban–rural interdependence through strategic control

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) in the plastics industry is the core area of sustainable manufacturing, commonly recognised for its high efficiency in enabling cost-effective production towards sustainability. For these reasons, the present research addresses and pertains to several areas and techniques, such as Collection–Recycling–Manufacturing (CRM), processes benchmarking, and business model evaluation, which together can be driving forces of sustainability. However, these combined are insufficient for AM to effectively achieve sustainability, as AM’s realisation requires human factors such as multi-entity authorities, policy making, and AM-based society to initiate and achieve AM.The strategic control model focuses on human-centric approaches such as urban–rural interdependence, policy, and population planning. It investigates each nation’s statistics, and enables strategy and planning, for instance, relocate overcrowding populations to rural or suburban areas. It also creates robust workforces to support AM and materials recycling in suburb or rural areas. Through strategic control model, the construction of AM processes in low-population areas protects ecosystems, creates job opportunities, and eliminates society issues.The strategic control model further covers infrastructure of new residents, and supports the home-based businesses (HBB) of AM. This can improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce CO2 emission, prevent pandemic crises such as the COVID-19. Eventually, it achieves sustainable urban–rural interdependence.