Role of Additive Manufacturing In The Fourth Industrial Revolution

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a key enabling technology in the fourth industrial revolution. AM is capable of processing metals, plastics and ceramics in a flexible manufacturing process that starts from the 3D digital data of the product allowing a production of prototypes, user-customized parts and finished products. AM allows the production of complex-shaped products with combination of functions and/or replacing the assembly step for products with multiple components. In this work, we will briefly introduce the different technologies of AM with their used materials, applications, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. The impact of additive manufacturing on the market is analyzed in details, with a demonstration to the important market segments that are influenced by AM. The contribution of AM to industries such as the aerospace and the biomedical is prominent, where the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for these industries is projected for the year 2025 to grow with 22.3 % and 15 %, respectively