3D Printing Business Promoting Jobs for People with Disabilities

Abstract

In 2014, we set up a committee at Japan Society for the Promotion of Machine Industry (JSPMI) to evaluate whether 3D printing technology could help provide suitable work roles for people with disabilities 1). We conducted a three-year study to develop a business model based on subcontracting finishing work for the stereolithography from a 3D printing company to Social Welfare Corporations. Although the suitable work roles were limited to those in the final production processes such as removing, polishing etc., the finished quality of 3D-printed products were equal to that of where work was done by normal workers. The final processes are always to be done manually and the work is highly valued especially in prototyping. This combined with the quality of the workmanship demonstrated during the study made this business feasible. In this paper, this subcontracting business model and the results obtained from a three year trial are presented.