Decision-Making in Additive Manufacturing – Survey on AM Experience and Expertise of Designers

Technological advancements in additive manufacturing (AM) has enabled the usage of AM for end-use parts more than ever before. Deciding whether or not to apply AM for final parts and knowing how to design for AM is fundamental in the design phase, which is why Design for AM (DfAM) methods are currently being elaborated.

This paper analyzes the current experiences and knowing of designers concerning additive manufacturing technologies and, hence, provides a foundation for the development of DfAM methods. This study presents a survey with designers asking them about their experience with and knowledge on additive manufacturing technologies. The study reveals the disparate experience with AM, reaching from highly skilled AM experts to designers who have never held an AM part in the own hands before. While a good basic knowledge concerning AM seems present, detailed knowledge is lacking, especially with regard to general restrictions and the differentiation of the AM technologies. Interest and intentions in using AM for final part production is high, combined with a slight skepticism. For further implementations of AM in final part production, DfAM methods are meaningful and desired by designers, e.g. for decision-making processes for direct AM. These DfAM approaches should be focused on AM specific requirements and characteristics while covering the proven discrepancies in the experiences and the skills of designers concerning AM.