A Comparative Review of Additive Manufacturing Infrastructure in Iran and China for the Production of Mechanical Engineering Components

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has emerged as one of the key technologies of advanced manufacturing, evolving over recent decades from a technique primarily used for rapid prototyping into an important approach for producing high-value engineering components with complex geometries and enhanced functional performance. The development of AM at the national level depends not only on the availability of manufacturing equipment but also on an integrated infrastructure involving materials, software and simulation, skilled human resources, research capabilities, industry–university collaboration, standards, and quality-control systems. Therefore, comparative assessment of national AM infrastructures can provide valuable insights for identifying technological gaps and supporting industrial development strategies. This review aims to comparatively assess the AM infrastructure of Iran and China, with particular emphasis on its capabilities for producing mechanical engineering components. The infrastructure of both countries is evaluated across six major dimensions: AM technologies and equipment, materials and supply chains, software and simulation, research capacity and skilled workforce, industry–university collaboration, and standardization and quality control. The reviewed literature indicates that China has developed a relatively comprehensive AM ecosystem over the past three decades, encompassing equipment and material development, process optimization, research, industrial applications, and commercialization. In contrast, Iran has established significant academic and research capabilities in technologies such as Powder Bed Fusion (PBF), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), and Directed Energy Deposition (DED), as well as process optimization and mechanical-property evaluation. However, challenges remain in industrial-scale production, supply-chain development, standardization, quality assurance, and commercialization. The findings indicate that AM infrastructure should be evaluated beyond the number of available machines, considering value-chain maturity, technological accessibility, material availability, quality-control capabilities, and industry–university integration. Finally, strategic approaches for strengthening Iran’s AM infrastructure are proposed.