How practitioners design end-use components for 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing)

What is it about?

In this article, we present the knowledge that design practitioners posses in Design for Additive Manufacturing. Moreover, we have interviewed expert design practitioners on their experiences regarding the design of end-use components and products that have been made using 3D Printing (i.e. Additive Manufacturing). What we learned is that designers continue to view AM as a tool for prototyping, but they rarely considered it as a production tool. When adopted, 3D Printing is generally used for low volume productions (less than 1000 pieces). Designers develop their knowledge of how to design for AM largely based on personal experience. Finally, the barriers to adopting AM for series production are dominated by perceptions of high cost and in addition, designers are not yet convinced that AM technologies will deliver components that are dimensionally repeatable and have satisfactory physical properties.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

This is the first study that investigates the knowledge and experience of industrial and product designers on how to design products for 3D Printing. The study highlights the current uses and understanding of 3D printing in the design domain.

Perspectives