Implementing Additive Manufacturing for Sustainability in Operations: Analysis of Enabling Factors

Additive manufacturing (AM) is heralded as a new manufacturing paradigm with significant environmental, economic, and social sustainability consequences. The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate the sustainable enablers of AM. The research has identified 19 sustainable enablers of AM belonging to three areas: social, economic, and environmental, through an in-depth literature review. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach has been applied after taking inputs from industry experts to develop causal relationships (cause-effect diagram) and to analyze each enabler's influence. The cause-effect diagram has been developed based on threshold values. Our observations revealed that weight reduction, reduced time to market, mass customization, and personalization are the most critical enablers for sustainability. From visual representation, reduced toxicity of materials, no need for tooling, and ease of accessibility for remote part production have a substantial impact on effect enablers. This study will facilitate AM practitioners to systematically identify and prioritize essential enablers from a sustainability perspective. Practitioners should focus on these cause group enablers because it will help in controlling the effect of group enablers to improve sustainability in operations. Furthermore, insights from the study will enable policymakers to make policies leading to sustainable development. The novelty lies in identifying 19 enablers and incorporating the DEMATEL model to assess the causal relationship.