Additive Manufacturing vs Metal Additive Manufacturing Technologies in Engineering: A Bibliometric and Web Indicator Analysis

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) is one of the main levers of change in the context of industry 4.0 and the metal additive manufacturing subgroup (MAM) is the most relevant in industry. This contribution analyses research trends and the academic, industrial and social impact of the research conducted in both areas. The articles published between 2010 and 2019 in the field of engineering research, with a total of 6,692 on AM technologies and 1,734 on MAM technologies, have been downloaded from the Web of Science database. In order to analyze who the main actors are and the academic impact, a bibliometric and web indicator analysis is applied. The social impact of the research carried out is visualized through twitter citations and, finally, its industrial impact is visualized through its connection with AM and MAM industrial patents. The study carried out allows us to conclude that the scientific development between AM and MAM is similar, however, the general public shows less interest in MAM. The transfer of knowledge to industry and the market is still low. The results obtained will offer advances in the knowledge and visualization of research production trends in AM and MAM technologies.