Rapid manufacturing: impact on supply chain methodologies and practice

This paper demonstrates the use of Rapid Manufacturing (RM) as the enabling technology for flexible manufacturing in a number of industrial sectors. This paper discusses the evolution of Rapid Prototyping to RM and the current issues that require further research for the successful integration of this technology within manufacturing companies. The use of RM will have particular impact on supply chain management paradigms such as lean and agile and has particular strategic fit with mass customisation. The effect that RM will have on these paradigms is discussed and confirmed with example cases from automotive production, motor sport and medical devices industries. In conclusion, RM has already been shown in the three cases to offer benefits, particularly where fast reconfiguration of the manufacturing process is required and with the production of customised components.