Nesting and scheduling optimization of additive manufacturing systems: Mapping the territory

The application of Additive Manufacturing (AM) within industrial settings brings new challenges to operational research. This paper provides in-depth analyses of nesting and scheduling problems in the context of AM. Using bibliometric and systematic review methods, we map the progression of knowledge in this territory and provide a detailed characterization of the existing mathematical models and approaches. Our findings indicate the fundamental decisions that predominate in these models and reveal the relationships between the critical studies, which form the backbone of the research. While the nesting and scheduling problem can be categorized into six types of decision, we have also found other emerging and interrelated optimization problems associated with nesting and scheduling decisions. To provide further details, an ample number of models are systematized in a reference framework for modeling nesting and scheduling in AM. Finally, pressing future research avenues that have emerged from our analysis and that need to be addressed to further advance the field are presented.