Additive manufacturing (3 D printing) : challenges and opportunities for large scale adoption

Abstract

3D printing (additive manufacturing) has been around for more than 30 years. A lot of technological progress has been made in that time, most recently with new innovations such as metal 3D printing. Although the technology seems to hold a lot of promise, the rate of adoption has not lived up to the hype. The aim of this thesis is to research what has stopped 3D printing from catching on faster? What factors are hindering large scale adoption for mass production? We apply the "Iterating to Insights" framework to analyze technology limitations, market dynamics, business models and industry structure and to develop strategic insights that are surprising yet compelling. Our end goal was to develop a set of insights that can be used by an investor in a 3D printing company to evaluate whether an application or market being pursued by a potential investment is worthwhile or not.