Dissertation Investigates Inhibitors and Enablers of 3D Printing in the Manufacturing Industry11/29/2018 Dissertation Investigates Inhibitors and Enablers of 3D Printing in the Manufacturing Industry https://ift.tt/2Q6l0bd
Disruptive innovation
, a term that was first popularized by Harvard University professor Clayton Christensen, is a concept in which companies continue investing in the development of their established products, and at some point exceed the basic requirements of many of their customers. Disruptors introduce products that meet market needs through lower cost and/or more convenience, and disruption, in turn, often results in a change in the business system. Back in 2013, Christensen noted that disruptive innovation can create a new market and value network, and will end up disrupting an existing network. 3D printing in manufacturing, and this concept of disruptive innovation in particular, are the subjects of a dissertation, titled “The Promise of the Future: 3D Printing in Manufacturing,” written by Dr. Michael G. Westphal and submitted to the University of the Rockies in Colorado.
We should all know by now that adopting 3D printing in manufacturing operations can help companies save money and time. But, as Dr. Westphal put it, the future is leaning more towards 3D printing touching “the lives of consumers at every level.”
The dissertation takes a look at some of the main inhibitors and enablers to the adoption of AM through the frame of a qualitative case study on small-to-medium sized manufacturing and parts production in the state of Colorado.
Using the following open-ended questions, Dr. Westphal interviewed several representatives from area companies:
Each of the interviews lasted about an hour, and eight themes in regards to “tactical considerations for the use of 3D printing at the manufacturing site” emerged from the findings: the cost of investment, part complexity and design, materials consideration, prototyping and rapid prototyping, speed, part quality, part quantity, and access to a workforce that was trained in AM. Three additional findings, relating to but separate from the aforementioned themes, were production workflow and lights-out manufacturing, knowledge base and perception issues, and risk management and precipitating events. While perceptions on the use of 3D printing on the factory floor differed between the interviewees due to “where they fell on the continuum of current use” and the kinds of manufacturing, each of the participants did agree “that the future of manufacturing will include 3D printing and additive manufacturing in some way.”
Dr. Westphal said that all the participants did agree on one thing – the pace of change in the AM marketplace gives them reason to pause. Additionally, nearly 77% of the study participants said that 3D printing can’t disrupt the industry until a culture change happens.
Discuss this research and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com November 29, 2018 at 12:03PM
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