Applications of Hybrid Manufacturing during COVID-19 Pandemic: Pathway to Convergent Manufacturing

This paper presents the advancements in manufacturing science and the engineering learned because of the global emergencies resulting from pandemics. Established manufacturing processes strained to the limit delivering parts and services during the pandemic in industrialized as well as industrializing nations. These limitations call for manufacturing by integrating or hybridizing multiple processes and sometimes materials. This paper illustrates value propositions resulting from hybrid manufacturing by using pertinent case studies of a ventilator filter housing and an injection molding tool. This paper concludes by making a case for convergence of heterogenous materials, processes, and systems in a unified platform allowing adaptability, agility, and flexibility in manufacturing geared toward offering resilience in similar future global catastrophes.