Additive Production Management in COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Purpose:The article aims to discuss the authors' own experiences and literature review on the topic of small communities of additive production in COVID-19 conditions and propose an improvement of emergency procedures in situations of global threat. Design/Methodology/Approach: Its object is organizing and analyzing the experience gained during the production of healthcare products in 3D technology during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: Further objects include identifying problems, proposing solutions, signaling problems to be solved, improving the efficiency of managing the production and distribution of health protection products, and improving the energy efficiency of the production process. Practical Implications: Structured conclusions and the resulting proposals for activities in the production and distribution of health protection products in situations of global life threat formulated further research goals.Originality/Value: An in-depth analysis of the literature on the subject and the research results presented in the article indicate the need for further research on the concept of optimization of the production process in the context of the temporary market demand for specific products. The article presents a proposal for a model that allows the use of incremental techniques and cost optimization depending on the market demands.

Additive manufacturing for biomedical applications: a review on classification, energy consumption, and its appreciable role since COVID-19 pandemic

“…Consequently, conventional manufacturers faced a severe shortage of medical supplies for frontline healthcare workers and patients. Additive manufacturing technologies have positively contributed to fabricating various medical devices like personal protective equipment (PPE) to meet the shortages of local and global supplies [ 15 , 24 ]. Thus, AM has sufficient potential to contribute positively during emergencies by incorporating mass customization in design and complexity [ 19 ].…”

“…The misinformation on several technical platforms can be identified through the digital technologies of I4.0 [ 43 ]. The digital versatility and quick prototyping are boosted by integrating AM with industry 4.0 and the internet of things in the cyber-physical age to make it more flexible for mass customization and rapid response rate in case of any future emergencies [ 15 , 44 ]. An overview of detailed supply chain mapping concerning the COVID-19 pandemic with I4.0 is indicated in Fig.…”

“…Healthcare systems were found to be in war footing condition to boost their supply of beds and trained workers to meet the rapid demands of medical supplies [ 12 ]. Also, the employees in local manufacturing companies were reduced due to the lockdown in many high-risk regions worldwide [ 13 – 15 ]. However, the response to this healthcare emergency was inefficient because the local manufacturers have not previously experienced this much pandemic disaster and had difficulty fulfilling the safety regulatory standards.…”