Costs and Cost Effectiveness of Additive Manufacturing

Published

December 4, 2014

Author(s)

Douglas Thomas, Stanley W. Gilbert

Abstract

The use of additive manufacturing has increased significantly in previous years. Additive manufacturing is used by multiple industry subsectors, including motor vehicles, aerospace, machinery, electronics, and medical products. Currently, however, additive manufactured products represent less than one percent of all manufactured products in the U.S. As the costs of additive manufacturing systems decrease, this technology may change the way that consumers interact with producers. Additive manufacturing technology opens up new opportunities for the economy and society. It can facilitate the customized production of strong light-weight products and it allows designs that were not possible with previous manufacturing techniques. Various challenges, however, can impede and slow the adoption of this technology. In many instances, the cost of producing a product using additive manufacturing processes exceeds that of traditional methods. This report examines the costs of additive manufacturing and seeks to identify those instances where additive manufacturing might be cost effective and also identify potential means for reducing costs when using this technology.

Citation

Special Publication (NIST SP) - 1176

Report Number

1176

NIST Pub Series

Special Publication (NIST SP)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

DOI Link

Keywords

Additive manufacturing, manufacturing, 3D printing, supply chain, technology diffusion

Citation

Thomas, D. and Gilbert, S. (2014), Costs and Cost Effectiveness of Additive Manufacturing, Special Publication (NIST SP), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.1176 (Accessed April 18, 2024)