From Computational Design to Additive Manufacturing: a technological roadmapping in the perspective of the Circular Economy
Computational Design, Generative Design, Parametric Design, Additive Manufacturing, 3D Printing, Technological Foresight, Patents, Circular Economy
This dissertation aims to establish an overview of the global context of Research, Development, and Innovation (RD&I) related to Computational Design and Additive Manufacturing, highlighting the productions and challenges related to the scope of the Circular Economy. It is intended, with such emphasis, to contribute to the systematization and identification of research fronts, trends, and innovations for a sustainable future in Computational Design and 3D Printing. Methods and techniques of technological prospecting, specifically, the mapping of articles and patents from data and text mining were applied. The study identified seventeen scientific and technological development themes and a set of imagined future scenarios. The results demonstrate that despite the recent significant growth of technologies and discoveries in Computational Design applied to Additive Manufacturing, there is still little evidence of initiatives that consider the Circular Economy as a central point, which increases the probability of environmental impacts in the short and medium term.