From the course: Additive Manufacturing for Business

Industry examples from path IV: Business model evolution

From the course: Additive Manufacturing for Business

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Industry examples from path IV: Business model evolution

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- Path four is about business model evolution, and the focus here is on customization, collaboration, and integration. Now, in medical technology we see perhaps the greatest application or at least the most widespread application, of additive manufacturing from across all industries. That comes in the form of Invisalign, an additive manufacturing that may be the largest application of mass customization in any field. Here, customers use removable orthodontic devices rather than permanently-placed braces to straighten their teeth, resulting in an overall improved customer experience. Medtech also sees additive manufacturing, new business models applied to reduce inventory while improving the efficacy and delivery speed of products. Businesses are currently working to deploy image to implant processes using additive manufacturing. For example, offering custom knee implants that better fit and are delivered just in time to avoid the need to keep large inventories. We are also beginning to hear of the emergence of new applications in additive manufacturing for biomedical research. There is, in fact, early-stage, bioprinting applications that exist today that seek to revolutionize the medical industry by creating living human tissue that mimics the form and function of human organs for research and clinical use. We may not be all the way to the stage where we can print full human organs yet and we may not reach that stage for some time, but it does appear that we are reaching a stage where additive manufacturing can begin to have a significant impact on medical research. Now, in aerospace and defense, integration seems to be the watchword. We're increasingly seeing aerospace manufacturers partner with and even purchase competitors or participants in the additive manufacturing industry. In automotive, we're back to customization. A great example comes in the form of Bentley, a high-end automobile manufacturer using the additive manufacturing to customize the user experience by adding to the details and finish of the interior of the vehicle.

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