In Business of Additive Manufacturing

The world of manufacturing is rapidly changing. New technologies that become available every day are making a strong impact on the future perception of manufacturing and markets. One of the cutting edge technologies that is bound to influence today’s manufacturing paradigms is the additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing or rapid prototyping. In response to fast advances in practice, attention put to AM is growing in the academic literature. However, a comprehensive overview of the business models for AM is not available in the academic literature. In order to address this issue, the present research reviews the articles that address business models for AM that are published in academic journals. The articles addressing AM business models are found and analyzed providing in this way the state-of the-art in the AM business field. Finally, the directions for the future research are discussed and proposed.