3D printing: modeling the industry wide spread of the revolution

Abstract

3D printing is considered a disruptive technology (Berman 2012) that can allow firms to serve small market segments, operate with little inventory and innovate faster. The project attempts a future oriented analyses of 3D printing. We first review the technology involved, its advantages and limitations, the various market models and the timeline for their adoption to develop a deeper understanding of the field. By studying the spread of 3D printing we derive the most important parameters that drive its current adoption in various industries and propose a model to predict the adoption of 3DP in near neighbor industries to augment, or possibly replace, current systems of production.