Abstract
PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic caused global supply disruptions and shortages that resulted in countries battling over desperately needed (medical) supplies. In this mayhem, additive manufacturing (AM) provided relief to the strained healthcare systems and manufacturing environments by offering an alternative way to rapidly produce desired products. This study sheds light on how AM was used globally in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study undertakes a systematic and content-centric review of 289 additively manufactured products made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, quantitative frequency-based text mining and various descriptive analyses were applied that support the investigation of the subject under regard.FindingsResults show that AM was primarily used in the medical domain for the production of standard medical items, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) but also for non-obvious and new applications (e.g. swab simulator, rapid diagnostic kits, etc.). Also, certain paradigm shifts were observed, as the effective move to mass production and the mitigation of problems related to certification and standardization emerged as prominent management prospects. Nevertheless, various obstacles arose and remained in the path of lasting AM success, especially with respect to print quality, raw material supply and technological versatility.Originality/valueDue to the actuality of the topic under investigation, no comparable study has so far been conducted. The systematic review provides a conclusive and precise foundation for further analysis and subsequent discussions. Additionally, no comparable study mapping such a wide array of different AM products exists today.
Subject
Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering,Strategy and Management,Computer Science Applications,Control and Systems Engineering,Software
Reference124 articles.
1. 3 Boyutlu Destek (2020), “Covid-19 ile Mücadeleye Tam Destek”, available at: https://3boyutludestek.org/ (accessed 30 June 2020).
2. Additive manufacturing for COVID-19: devices, materials, prospects, and challenges;MRS Communications,2020
3. Self-designed 3-D printed mask to tackle COVID-19,2020
4. Aggarwal, C.C. and Zhai, C. (2012), “An introduction to text mining”, in Aggarwal, C.C. and Zhai, C. (Eds), Mining Text Data, Springer, New York, pp. 1-10.
5. America Makes (2020), “Fighting COVID-19 with 3D printing”, available at: https://www.americamakes.us/statement-on-covid-19/ (accessed 7 May 2020).
Cited by
38 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献