Additive Manufacturing: analysis of the economic context and evaluation of the indoor air quality, with a Total Quality Management approach

The world has started to speak about a possible new revolution that would change radically the way in which the entire economic system will be managed: Additive Manufacturing, together with the other enabling technologies of Industry 4.0, has the potential ability to change the traditional concepts of manufacturing and the way in which the production is managed throughout its supply chain. This study, divided in four chapters will analyze the changes that the Industry 4.0 is making to the whole economic system focusing on the manufacturing technology of Additive Manufacturing (AM) and analyzing the Italian economic context of reference, in the wood-furniture manufacturing sector. It will consider the supply side, that is the propensity of businesses to use 3D printers in the prototyping and subsequent production phase and the role of Fab Labs as mediators for the use of the technology between private consumers and businesses. Subsequently it will analyze the demand side and therefore Italian consumers knowledge of AM, 3D printing technologies and Fabrication Laboratories (Fab Labs), their perceptions about products made using 3D printers, their propensity to buy products made with these technologies and to use these ones to create their one products. Finally it will consider also environmental aspects related to Additive Manufacturing and the possible problem of Indoor Air Pollution due to the melting process of 3D printers, during which materials such as plastics emit gaseous substances, commonly called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), assessing that the quantity of substances emitted does not exceed threshold levels, which is important for the health and safety of those using such digital tools.