ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY - CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC TIMES

Resumo

Abstract: Additive Manufacturing is a technology for manufacturing finished products, layer by layer. It is different from conventional processes, such as stamping / casting. It is a computer system, using projects in Computer Added Design that use 3D printing to join different materials to the final product of the form, through heat and other processes, such as the final application. The materials used are ceramic, metallic and polymeric micro / nanometric powders or a mixture of them. It was in the mid-80s of the 20th century that developments of this technology began. Additive manufacturing is of great importance for industries, as it eliminates the models / stamping molds / forging tools and molds / molds, because the goods are manufactured in their final geometry. The challenges are the cost of production and quality of the produced part, which must have the same or better performance than that manufactured by conventional methods. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic that hit 2020, additive manufacturing came as an aid to create personal protective equipment such as visors produced by companies, educational and research institutions or ordinary citizens. The present work presents this technology, its challenges and the beneficial aspects that it can generate for humanity in Covid-19 times and after.

Keywords: Additive Manufacturing. Technology. Additives. Materials. Challenges. Pandemic. Covid-19.