The additive manufacturing innovation: a range of implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into whether additive manufacturing (AM) represents incremental, radical, disruptive innovation or an industrial revolution and its implications. Design/methodology/approach This study applies a desk research strategy. Data were collected through a variety of industry sources as well as academic publications. Findings It was found that AM represents different innovations in different settings, while it represents incremental innovation in one industry, it has led to radical changes in other industries. There are also indications that it has a disruptive nature and some of the developments appear to be of the industrial revolutionary type, i.e. they cause fundamental shifts in society. Some explanation for the observed differences can come from different performance objectives. Research limitations/implications The spread of AM has been limited due to initial intellectual property protection. That means that while illustrations and examples were found for the different types of innovations, the level in which AM will ultimately penetrate manufacturing industries and society overall is not (yet) known. This calls for continued research for instance to study, in-depth, the adoption characteristics of AM in very specific settings. Practical implications Manufacturing is undergoing many changes as a consequence of the AM innovation. Many manufacturing industries have already been impacted through incremental changes as well as radical changes to entire industry dynamics. Manufacturers are advised to carefully monitor the continuous innovations in the technological capabilities of AM and their competitive and strategic consequences for adoption decisions. Social implications AM has an impact on many aspects of society because it affects many industries and enables household manufacturing. It has also affected education, i.e. the current generation of students in terms of skill requirements, and leads to legal difficulties in terms of intellectual property. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of the AM innovation and the widespread implications for different manufacturing industries and society at large.