Andreas Menelaou, "The 3D printing of metals during the 4th industrial revolution ", Diploma Work, School of Production Engineering and Management, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece, 2023
https://doi.org/10.26233/heallink.tuc.97662
In this thesis, a complete analysis of 3D metal printing and how it in turn affects the 4th industrial revolution is carried out. First, there is a brief historical review of the first three industrial revolutions with an emphasis on the technologies developed for production and metal processing, ending with the 4th industrial revolution and the technologies of additive manufacturing (Additive Manufacturing). Next, a more extensive description of the prosthetic construction is made, the steps for the production of objects as well as their use are presented. Advantages and disadvantages of additive manufacturing compared to other methods of producing metal objects, such as material removal (CNC), are then analyzed and commented on, and how these affect the 4th Industrial Revolution. Additionally, in such a rapidly developing area it is impossible not to mention the future prospects of the method as well as the way of applying AM technologies in the future in different environments. Finally, we focus on the field of AM applications such as the manufacture of production tools and products of industrial enterprises active in medical applications as well as applications in the aeronautical and automotive industries.