Application of Polymer Composite-based 3D Printing in the Agro-industry: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is recognized to offer significant advantages in design flexibility, product customization, and material efficiency over conventional manufacturing methods. Nevertheless, the adoption of this technology in the agro-industrial sector is still hindered by several factors, namely the availability of suitable polymer composite materials, relatively high production costs, and technical expertise limitations. Therefore, this study aims to present a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the utilization of polymer composites in 3D printing applications within agro-industrial technology, referencing the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) framework. A total of 61 relevant articles published between 2018 and 2024 from major databases (including ScienceDirect, PubMed, MDPI, and Google Scholar) were comprehensively analyzed. The review findings indicate that the primary applications focus on the development of prototypes and machine components for waste processing, packaging, and crop quality improvement. However, the fundamental challenges lie in the mechanical performance curve and fluctuating material costs. This study fills the literature gap by identifying the most promising polymer composite materials and mapping future research directions, particularly in the development of sustainable bio-composites to enhance the scalability of 3D printing across the entire agro-industrial value chain.