3D printing: opportunities and applications for supply chain management: International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

The rise of 3D Printing (3DP), also known as additive manufacturing technologies, provides firms with the opportunity of reconfiguring supply chains by bringing manufacturing closer to home and hence shortening or virtually eliminating lead times.

This e-book is aimed to extend understanding of the impact of 3DP on supply chain management.

In the first paper the study identifies five leading AM processes as of now and potentially in the future, and then discusses their relative potential.

Then the authors identify and discuss the implications of key barriers preventing widespread adoption of AM processes.

The second paper has a specific industrial and geographical focus, aiming to examine barriers to the implementation of AM in the Indian automotive sector and to identify the interrelationships between these barriers.

In the third and final paper authors review existing 3DP scenarios and identify gaps, which they refer to as "e;white space"e; in current understanding of future 3DP scenarios and research opportunities.