Short description:

This book provides practical strategies to support the adoption and integration of 3D printing into professional practice. Written by experienced industry professionals and academics, this is a fundamental reference for product designers, industrial designers, design engineers, consultants and makers.

Long description:

3D Printing for Product Designers closes the gap between the rhetoric of 3D printing in manufacturing and the reality for product designers. It provides practical strategies to support the adoption and integration of 3D printing into professional practice.

3D printing has evolved over the last decade into a practical proposition for manufacturing, opening up innovative opportunities for product designers. From its foundations in rapid prototyping, additive manufacturing has developed into a range of technologies suitable for end-use products. This book shows you how to evaluate and sensitively understand people, process, and products and demonstrates how solutions for working with additive manufacturing can be developed in context. It includes a practical, step-by-step plan for product designers and CEOs aimed at supporting the successful implementation of 3D printing by stakeholders at all levels of a manufacturing facility, tailored to their stage of technology integration and business readiness. It features a wide range of real-world examples of practice illustrated in full colour, across industries such as healthcare, construction, and film, aligning with the strategic approach outlined in the book.

The book can be followed chronologically to guide you to transform your process for a company, to meet the unique needs of a specific client, or to be used as a starting point for the product design entrepreneur. Written by experienced industry professionals and academics, this is a fundamental reference for product designers, industrial designers, design engineers, CEOs, consultants, and makers.

"It would be difficult to find three individuals with greater knowledge of the subject. The detail in the book is presented in a rich and practical way. If you are new to 3D printing or have been familiar with it for years, you will benefit from this outstanding publication." 

Terry Wohlers, Head of Advisory Services and Market Intelligence, Wohlers Associates, USA

Table of Contents:

Introduction  1. Demystifying 3D printing processes and workflow  2. Working with a design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) consultancy  3. Strategy 1: Working with existing production  4. Strategy 2: Product redesign and new product design  5. Strategy 3: Digital business innovation  6. Case studies: 3D Printing from the product designers? perspective  7. DfAM: Design guidelines for product designers  8. 3D printing sustainability and digital ecosystems  9. Making the future/remaking product design