3D printing provides an effective digital fabrication route for manufacturing structured adsorbents with customized geometries, offering clear advantages in permeability, recoverability, and structural integration for water treatment applications. However, a fundamental challenge remains: high porosity, which is essential for mass transfer and adsorption capacity, often compromises mechanical robustness, thereby limiting structural stability, recyclability, and service life under dynamic operating conditions. Most existing studies address this trade-off through incremental optimization within individual material systems, resulting in limited performance improvement. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in 3D-printed structured adsorbents by taking adsorption mechanisms as the central framework. Strategies for enhancing mass transfer through hierarchical pore architecture are reviewed alongside a critical analysis of chemical durability and mechanically governed structural stability, which are key factors for engineering reliability. Emerging fabrication approaches, including core-shell printing and multi-material co-extrusion, are discussed as promising routes to decouple adsorption functionality from load-bearing structures, enabling the concurrent improvement of adsorption performance and mechanical integrity. In addition, challenges related to performance evaluation, dynamic adsorption testing, and cost-benefit considerations are examined, providing guidance for the transition from material-level printing toward structurally reliable adsorption device design.
The long-term durability of reinforced concrete infrastructure remains a critical challenge, as conventional Portland cement and carbon steel systems are inherently vulnerable to corrosion and environmental degradation. Roman concrete demonstrates exceptional longevity due to slow hydration kinetics, pozzolanic reactions, and self-healing mechanisms, but its integration into modern construction is limited by incompatibility with rapid construction workflows. At the same time, additive manufacturing has enabled advanced geometric control, while rarely addressing durability as a primary design objective. This study proposes a durability-driven construction system integrating Roman-type concrete, stainless steel reinforcement, and permanent additively manufactured thermoplastic formworks. Rather than acting as a temporary construction aid, the formwork is redefined as a permanent protective enclosure that sustains early-age loads, accommodates slow curing, and provides long-term environmental shielding. Stainless steel reinforcement is employed to mitigate corrosion, the dominant degradation mechanism. The system is evaluated using a multi-level methodology that combines material compatibility analysis, finite-element modelling of early-age conditions, and architectural-scale demonstration. The critical pre- and post-casting phases are analysed by modelling the fresh concrete as a fluid-like load acting on the permanent formwork, which represents the load-bearing component prior to setting. A segmented dome inspired by the Pantheon is used to demonstrate scalability and system integration. While direct validation over century-scale timeframes is impractical, the results show that the proposed system satisfies necessary conditions for extended service life, providing a scientifically grounded framework for durability-oriented construction using additive manufacturing.
In this era of globalization, competitive manufacturing practices demand optimization of all critical design and manufacturing processes in order to guarantee profitability and sustainability of operations. This study presents the contributions of precision mechanics and digital fabrication in driving sustainable manufacturing. Precision technologies have contributed to material and energy efficiency goals in manufacturing by minimizing tolerances and reducing waste, while digital fabrication techniques such as 3D printing, digital twins, and so on support design flexibility, localized production, and lower environmental emissions. In a manufacturing era that is increasingly being redefined and reshaped by stiff competition, dwindling margins, environmental urgency, and rapid digital transformation, effective acquisition and efficient deployment of technology have become the critical pathways to competitive success. This study clearly highlighted the synergistic roles of precision mechanics and digital fabrication in advancing sustainable and green manufacturing practices. Furthermore, this research critically examined how ultra-precision technologies and digital manufacturing methods, such as additive manufacturing (AM), digital twins, and smart micro-factories, can reduce waste, optimize energy use, and enable localized, as well as on-demand production. Through a critical literature review, the study reveals that integrating digital technologies and mechanical precision in manufacturing not only enhances production efficiency but also supports circular economy principles, lifecycle optimization, and sustainable supply chain resilience. Key industry case studies were also reviewed, and comparative assessments revealed the tangible benefits of these technologies in reducing production cost, material wastage, and environmental impact, while also identifying factors such as high initial investment cost, weak legislation and regulatory inertia, and lack of workforce readiness as the major barriers to the widespread adoption of this manufacturing concept. This approach allowed us to critically explore the role of precision mechanics and digital fabrication in sustainable manufacturing, by helping to draw insights from scholarly publications, industry reports, and documented real-world applications. Comparative evaluations suggest that digital technologies outperform traditional methods in agility, resource management, and environmental impact, though challenges related to scalability, regulation, data security, and privacy, as well as workforce skills gap still persist. The paper concludes by proposing strategic pathways for technological adoption, policy support, and educational reforms necessary to accelerate sustainable innovation in manufacturing. Ultimately, this research underscores the strong belief that the convergence of precision mechanics and digital fabrication is not merely a technical evolution but a critical enabler of global sustainability goals in the fourth industrial era. The findings of this research will create the needed awareness and galvanize support towards overcoming the challenges in the promotion of precision and digital fabrication technologies as a viable model for sustainable and green manufacturing industrial transformation.
Open Access
Journal Metrics
Journal Overview
Associated Journals