2023

Nyamekye Patricia; Westman Sami; Tepponen Vesa

n the current industry 4.0 (I4.0) and emerging Industry 5.0 (I5.0) eras, the integration of digitalization and sustainable goals is driving nature-centric and human-centric products. The production of these products are also creating digital supply chain that boosts agility and resiliency in operations, management, and supply chain interlinks. Additive manufacturing (AM), an element of I4.0, for instance, offers an integrated connection of all process steps and value chains using computer-based designing, data-driven simulations, cloud-based processing, storing, and managing software along seamless digital threads to create agile and resilient supply chain. The integration of AM and other I4.0 technologies enables greater flexibility offering intrinsic sustainable, human-centric and resilience advantages. Laser based additive manufacturing (LBAM), one of the subcategories of AM, offers opportunities to manufacture new intricate and conventionally impractical metal product designs in an ecological and economic competitive stance. High performance metals (HPMs) suited for high-stress and corrosive demanding applications are tough to machine and prone to thermal cracking in case of welding. Conventionally difficult and lengthy to manufacture yet unavoidable HPMs such as nickel alloys and titanium alloys are effortlessly possible via LBAM. Different industrial sectors that utilize these grades of metal alloys continue to adopt AM for the offered design flexibility for achieving goals such as customization, lightweight, on-demand manufacturing, raw material efficiency and cost saving. This study uses literature review and manufacturing case studies to demonstrate the flexibility and digital nature of LBAM towards I5.0 goals. The study objectively highlights the promising responsiveness of AM in the eventuality of supply disruptions that may be caused by sudden changes. The novelty of the study lies in the pragmatic emphasis on the potentials of LBAM and paired I4.0 technologies in revolutionizing the industry towards industry 5.0 goals. The study shows how I4.0 elements can be paired to enable operational efficiencies, lower carbon emissions, and foster sustainability in promoting I5.0 transformation. This study offers a fundamental understanding of the role of LBAM in the advancement of sustainability, human-centricity, and resilience.