Economic Implications of Additive Manufacturing and the Contribution of MIS

Excerpt

Additive manufacturing (AM) – also known under the umbrella term “3D printing” – denotes a family of manufacturing techniques that allow for the generation of arbitrary physical objects layer by layer from digital 3D blueprints. Although several companies have used AM in prototyping for more than 25 years, it was only recently that the techniques gained the attention of the broader public to the point of enthusiastic reports in the mass media. The current hype surrounding AM, not least driven by a number of expiring key patents, holds promise of setting off a new industrial revolution. Several market figures and forecasts seem to support this view. In 2013, the market for AM, including all products and services worldwide, grew to $3.07 billion with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34.9 %; experts estimate the size of the AM market in 2021 at $10.8 billion (Wohlers and Caffrey 2013). Despite this economic potential, research on AM has so far mostly been limited to the engineering disciplines focusing on methods and materials for the actual manufacturing process. In contrast, research on managerial opportunities and implications is still sparse. …