3D printing and applications: Academic research through case studies in Finland

This research presents a comprehensive view of 3D printing technologies and their evolution. Additionally, it provides a Nordic perspective on the topic by summarizing project based research conducted in Finland. Expert interviews and research data extracted from case studies are analysed to cover topical areas on additive manufacturing transferability. The contribution of this research is to combine industry case research with expert interviews, and finally present recommendations to promote technology transfer. The synthesis of the presented cases allowed us to conclude that additive manufacturing will offer greater possibilities in applications when: (1) innovation and design processes need to be enhanced, (2) customization is an advantage, (3) supply chain needs to be flexible, simplified or compressed, (4) material usage and inventories need to be reduced, (5) energy usage and waste in manufacturing have to be minimized and (6) product performance has to be optimized. In consequence, to promote technology adoption and competitive advantage in companies - policy actions should be focused on increasing input for innovation and R&D, improving and increasing the supply of skill as well as generating and exploiting the connections and complementarities of country-specific academia, research institutions, industrial clusters and funding bodies.