Reading the breathless accounts of additive manufacturing’s capabilities in the popular press, it would be easy to conclude that 3D printers will soon replace all other manufacturing processes until you would simply “build” your new refrigerator on your home 3D printer. Even though that scenario is a fantasy today, additive manufacturing is indeed a highly disruptive technology that every manufacturer MUST come to grips with. This video provides a glimpse into a few options manufacturers should consider, but there are many other basic questions to answer before you introduce any additive capability into your production. Beyond prototyping, when is additive best employed? High or low volume production? Short product life cycle or long product life cycle? High or low value products? It is the answers to questions like these that will help today’s manufacturers decide when and when and how to deploy additive capabilities in their existing businesses to best advantage. Tell us what you’re thinking about when and how to use additive manufacturing in your company…