Industry 4.0 – Creativity and additive manufacturing

Although current applications are still mainly dedicated to customized production (implants, surgery, etc.) or high value-added production (aeronautics, defense, Formula 1, etc.), the democratization of these technologies will, in the near future, have an impact on many fields, both technologically and socially. While the main constraints on the mass deployment of some of these processes are still limited part size and high machine and/or material costs (particularly for metal products), it is highly likely that once these obstacles have been overcome, the innovative potential of these technologies will be revealed through their mass adoption. Additive manufacturing frees designers from numerous technical constraints, and offers an immense range of possibilities in terms of shape complexity.

Researchers and designers are looking at ways of bringing creativity and additive manufacturing closer together. Creativity methods specific to the additive paradigm can encourage the generation of new ideas, paving the way for future applications of additive manufacturing. How can additive manufacturing foster the creative phases of innovative product design?