Rapid Prototyping Journal
Special Issue on
“Managing 3D Printing Technologies for Manufacturing”

Aim
3D printing is introducing revolutionary changes to manufacturing processes. In the beginning, 3D printers were used only for small-scale trial production. However, more and more 3D printing service providers are now mass-producing their products. Nowadays, information companies, 3D photo studios, supermarket chains, and other shops are providing limited 3D printing services.
3D printing can be seamlessly integrated with CAD/CAM operations. Therefore, the existing CAD/CAM software vendors are typically the pioneers in this field. There are also dedicated CAD/CAM software for making with 3D printing. In addition, there are websites acting as hubs for gathering 3D models from volunteers worldwide. The prevalence of 3D printers connected by the Internet also form a ubiquitous environment in which customers can easily access a nearby 3D printing facility, a phenomenon creating considerable business opportunities.
Most of the existing studies on 3D printing for manufacturing have focused on technical concerns such as the use of various materials for printing, modeling and simulation, and how to inspect a 3D-printed product. However, there are managerial concerns that warrant attention:
(1) 3D-object database management: The 3D-design drawing of a product is a natural data source for 3D-printing applications. Most CAD software systems support the conversion of a 3D-design drawing into the STL file format. Scanning an extant product to obtain its 3D model is another possible method. A number of online 3D-object databases are also available for users to download and customize. In addition to them, a few offline databases can be used as a reference. Before designing a new 3D model, a factory should confirm whether any similar 3D object exists in the databases. Further, the 3D objects in different databases are classified according to distinct typologies. When aggregated, a unified topology is required, which requires a type of intelligence.
(2) Lean manufacturing: The relationship between 3D printing for manufacturing and lean manufacturing has rarely been investigated. However, ubiquitous manufacturing based on 3D printing reduces or eliminates the assembly lines and supply chains of many products, making the whole industry leaner. In addition, the most direct benefit of 3D printing is the small batch. With 3D printing, a product can be manufactured in a print-on-demand manner, eliminating the necessity of constructing an inventory for the product, and thus, conforming to the concepts of “pull systems” and “no inventory” in lean manufacturing.
(3) Digital rights management: Digital rights management involves issues such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, authentication, and data security. These concerns may hinder the development of 3D printing if they are not appropriately addressed.
(4) e-commerce: A hub for circulating 3D models is an e-commerce application, which involves business-to customer (B2C) e-commerce (with the hub as a business and a user as a customer) and customer-to-customer (C2C) e-commerce (between an uploading user and a downloading user).
(5) Globalization and deglobalization: Most manufacturers prefer to move or build their factories in regions with cheap labor or closer to markets. This problem can be overcome by the simple and low-cost installation of a 3D printer. It is now possible to build manufacturing facilities at any place with a demand for 3D printers, which is a major step toward further globalization on one hand. On the other hand, this transition may result in the deglobalization of the production and distribution of raw materials.
This special issue is intended to provide technical details of managing 3D printing technologies for manufacturing. These details will hold great interest for researchers in 3D printing, additive manufacturing, business innovation, technology management, e-commerce, system science, and information management, as well as for practicing managers and engineers. This special issue features a balance between state-of-the-art research and practical applications. This special issue also provides a forum for researchers and practitioners to review and disseminate quality research work on managing 3D printing technologies for manufacturing and the critical issues for further development.

Topics
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- 3D printing platforms
- 3D printing applications
- 3D printing networks
- 3D printing technologies
- Additive manufacturing
- Cost-and-effect analysis of 3D printing
- 3D databases for printing
- e-commerce for 3D printing
- Globalization and deglobalization
- Lean manufacturing by 3D printing
- Mass production by 3D printing
- Modelling and simulation of 3D printing
- Patent-based analysis of 3D models
- Path planning and analysis
- Trademark, copyright, and data security issues
- Ubiquitous manufacturing based on 3D printing applications
- Case studies
- Other related topics

Target Dates
Submission Deadline: April 30, 2017
Notification of the Initial Decision: July 31, 2017
Notification of Acceptance: October 31, 2017
Final Paper Due: November 1, 2017

Submission Guidelines
Quality and originality of the contribution are the main acceptance criteria. Manuscripts must be submitted via the online submission system:
http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rpj
For journal information and author guidelines, please visit
http://emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/author_guidelines.htm?id=rpj

Guest Editor
Toly Chen, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor
Department of Industrial Engineering and Systems Management
Feng Chia University
100, Wenhwa Rd., Seatwen, Taichung City, Taiwan
tolychen@ms37.hinet.net; tcchen@fcu.edu.tw
http://tolychen.myweb.hinet.net