## 7 Economic Assessment and Future Perspectives of Hydrogen and
### AM's Role in the Production of Green Hydrogen and Ammonia  
Additive manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, has gained significant attention in recent years as a powerful tool for fabricating complicated geometries with great precision and accuracy. This is especially helpful for making reactors and catalysts. Researchers have used 3D printing to fabricate microreactors with complex geometries for the synthesis of ammonia. These microreactors have shown higher conversion rates and selectivity compared to traditional reactors, which could lead to more efficient and sustainable ammonia production [146]. Additive manufacturing can also be used to fabricate novel catalysts for green hydrogen and ammonia production. For example, researchers have developed 3D-printed nickel foam catalysts for the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen. These catalysts have shown higher activity and durability compared to traditional catalysts, which could lead to more efficient and cost-effective hydrogen production [147]. Additive manufacturing can also be used to fabricate components for renewable energy systems, such as wind turbines and solar panels, which can provide the electricity needed for green hydrogen and ammonia production. Other researchers have used 3D printing to fabricate wind turbine blades with optimized shapes for increased energy production [148]. As this technology advances, it may become critical in the transition to a more sustainable and carbon-free future. Figure 28 depicts the advanced varieties of AM employed in numerous industries, including energy conversion 3D printing [149].  
Aerosol jet printing [150] and laser powder bed fusion are two forms of AM that are commonly employed in the production of green hydrogen and ammonia. Catalysts are printed onto electrodes and membranes for electrochemical technology using 3D printing [151; 152]. The advantages of AI techniques can be summarized as follows. (1) AI automates processes, permitting robots to perform optimization tasks automatically and without the need for human intervention. Moreover, AI technologies reduce the time necessary for data processing, allowing for real-time operation execution. (2) AI technologies have been identified that enhance reasoning, reduce human errors, and remove failures caused by human limits. Despite its capabilities and potential to boost productivity and quality on a variety of levels, AI technologies do have significant limitations, including data. The availability of data is a key barrier to deploying AI systems. The fuel cell sector, for example, has major obstacles in implementing AI solutions due to a limitation of dependable or high-quality data [153]. Additive manufacturing offers various advantages, including the ability to produce complex geometries and structures that would be hard to achieve with traditional manufacturing processes, as well as eliminating waste and reducing the environmental effect of manufacturing. Also, it removes the need for costly tooling and installation costs and enables the creation of components and products on demand, decreasing the need for inventory storage and delivery process lead times. It may employ a variety of materials, including metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites, to create  
Figure 28: Techniques of additive manufacturing [149].  
components and products with special characteristics. Overall, the benefits of additive manufacturing make it a powerful tool for a wide range of uses, including prototypes, and complex and unique geometries [154].