Classification of end-use industrial applications of additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) has recently been gaining traction in the manufacturing of industrial end-use components and has found success in a variety of applications, which have varied from the production of superior high value components to the reduction of costs associated with procuring simple products, such as spare parts for consumer electronics. This spectrum of applications is causing confusion for companies who are willing to adapt AM in their operations and slowing down the rate of propagation of AM in industrial settings. This paper attempts to clarify the opportunities of AM in end-use components by proposing a categorization system from the point of view of Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). The categories are obtained from the existing DfAM literature and are “Components designed for AM”, “Components redesigned for AM”, and “Components not designed for AM”. The article presents the categories in detail, explains when they should be used, and provides examples for each category.