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The need for a holistic approach
A Blueprint for 3D Printing
An introduction to 3D printing
A 3D printing success story is a combination of long term vision and short term experimentation
Ask any business leader the question “How can 3D printing benefit us?” and observe one of two conversations take place: the first hearkens back to the headlines pushed by The Economist, The New York Times, Wired, et al. In one conversation, the hands of VPs, marketing directors and executives are clasped behind heads and the phrase “4th industrial revolution” is used with abandon. The outcome is often 3D printing strategies that will “make us industry leading disruptors.” This looks plausible and forward-thinking on a whiteboard and in investor relations press releases, but when these revolutionary propositions are handed down to departments, process managers, and product owners to implement, they often quickly reveal themselves to be technically, economically, or operational untenable.
or conservative business leaders who do not want to stray from orthodoxy, this attempt at making sense of 3D printing is limited to a narrow window of “improving on the now” rather than “developing what’s next.”
The alternative conversation is a cacophony of technical speak, datasheets, and process guidelines, with a laser-focus on the nuts and bolts of 3D printing. While far more tactical than the strategy-focused conversation, the starting position of this debate is that 3D printing must comply with the status-quo: material for material, process chain for process
Both approaches to deciphering where and how AM sits within the business provide their own benefits and blockages. While capturing the value of the transformational change that 3D printing can enable demands fundamental shifts in organizational structure and business model design, those initiatives are the ones that will return significant value to the company in the mid to long term. Although big ideas offer big reward, they also present big risks. Pivoting an entire business function or process around 3D printing is an extremely complex and precise undertaking that requires a comprehensive and well-tested understanding of how the technology works, integrates, and operates within that specific company. Forming an additive strategy for long-term highvalue return without having developed a well thought-out plan for deploying additive manufacturing within the business is the functional equivalent of diving into the ocean not knowing how
chain, part cost for part cost. Whether it’s engineers who do not have the authority to change operating procedures
to swim; there is a chance you will figure it out, but the odds are against you.
