金属３Dプリンタビジネスの現状と課題

――サービスビューローの役割に関する検討――

抄録

More and more companies are trying to use 3D printers to promote digital manufacturing or rebuild their supply chains. Compared to conventional mass production system using molds, additive manufacturing（ AM） technology using 3D printers enables flexible and rapid high-mix, low-volume production system. AM technology makes it possible to create integrated structures or complex shapes. Also, it can shorten the processing cycle time and improve yield. In particular, metal AM technology has made remarkable progress in recent years, and the range of applications has expanded significantly such as aerospace, energy, industrial equipment and automotive. Metal AM technology is not easy to introduce because the equipment or material is expensive and it requires expertise in fabrication process. The organization that fills these gaps is the service bureau which engages in contract processing business using 3D printers. It is important that the service bureaus position at the contact point or brokerage that connect companies such as customers, equipment manufacturers, and powder material manufacturers. It is necessary for service bureaus to find the optimum conditions and to keep track of many parameters for each fabrication case as their know-how of each company. In Japan, the metal AM market has been driven by service bureaus. On the other hand, the number of the previous surveys or studies that focus on service bureaus are few. In this paper, we would like to clarify the role of service bureaus in Japan through the history of the metal AM field development and the case studies of the service bureaus in the metal AM field.