From Factory to Replicator: Towards Design Methods for on-demand Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing (AM) represents a collection of digital fabrication technologies such as Selective Laser Sintering and Fused Deposition Modeling. These means are maturing and getting widespread and some predict AM as a game changer in New Product Development. But how will designers adapt or change their way of working to a process where AM is an integrated part? This article proposes a research approach which explores the possibilities of AM for industrial designers and New Product Development. The approach is a combination of research in design context and design inclusive research, leading to design methods and software tools. A forerunning focus group study with design students and a senior designer confirms our hypothesis that the gap between the possibilities of AM and industrial design needs to be addressed