An oft-cited benefit of additive manufacturing (AM), or “3D-printing,” technology
is the ability to produce parts at the point of use by downloading a digital
file and making the part at a local printer. This has the potential to greatly
compress supply chains, lead times, inventories, and design iterations for
custom parts.
As a result of this, both manufacturing and logistics companies are investigating
and investing in AM capacity for production at the point of use. However, it can
be imagined that the feasibility and benefits are a function of size, materials,
build time, manufacturing complexity, cost, and competing technologies. Because
of this, there are instances where the viability of point-of-use manufacturing
ranges from the perfect solution to the worst possible choice.
Unsettled Topics on the Benefits of Additive Manufacturing for Production at the
Point of Use in the Mobility Industry discusses the benefits, challenges,
trade-offs, and other determining factors regarding this new level of AM
possibilities.