Agility through rapid prototyping technology in a manufacturing environment using a 3D printer

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the adoption of rapid prototyping (RP) technology using three dimensional (3D) printer for infusing agility in traditional manufacturing environment.Design/methodology/approachThe computer aided design (CAD) model of a knob of an electronics switch is developed using Pro/E software. Keeping this model as a reference, CAD models of new six knobs are developed. A 3D printer is used to build the prototypes of five of those CAD models. The receptivity of the practitioners over adopting CAD models and 3D printer for achieving agility is investigated.FindingsThe sensitisation of the industry captains and employees of traditional manufacturing sector is the imperative for exploiting the power of 3D printer and achieving mass customisation.Originality/valueThe paper reports an original research in which the practicality of using 3D printer is investigated with the objective of enabling the traditional manufacturing companies to imbibe agile characteristics.