Framework Proposal for the Integration of Additive Manufacturing into Sustainable Supply Chains of Manufacturing SMEs

Abstract

Background: Integrating additive manufacturing (AM) into manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) requires addressing technological, economic, organizational, environmental, and institutional conditions whose interrelationships remain insufficiently understood. Methods: This study proposes a conceptual framework for the sustainable integration of AM by combining Systematic Literature Mapping (SLM) with Fuzzy DEMATEL. The SLM covered publications indexed in Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and EI Compendex from January 2015 to May 2026. Among 1123 identified records, 72 studies met the inclusion criteria, leading to eight critical factors across political, economic, social, and environmental dimensions. These factors were subsequently evaluated by a panel of 15 experts to determine their interdependencies and cause–effect structure. Results: Government incentives (F1; D − R = 0.928) and digital infrastructure (F2; D − R = 0.469) emerged as the main causal drivers, while implementation costs (F4; D + R = 22.690) showed the highest prominence. The resulting framework comprises four levels: strategic activation, implementation enablement, operational integration and feasibility, and sustainable outcomes. Conclusions: Sustainable AM integration follows a hierarchical causal structure in which institutional and digital conditions initiate adoption, financial and regulatory mechanisms support implementation, and organizational and environmental benefits emerge as subsequent outcomes, providing SMEs with a structured basis for implementation decisions.