In order to identify which components are suitable for additive manufacturing (AM), both technical and business selection criteria needs to be used. The purpose of this project is to investigate the possibility of expanding the technical selection criteria with business values such as reduced inventory costs, transport and environmental impact.
Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D-printing, has been around for decades without impact on the supply chains. But the maturity of AM is today driving the development from being a tool for visualization and prototyping to industrial large-scale manufacturing of products and components. This development means that production can be moved closer to the customer, which makes it possible to transform the supply chains.