Industrial 3D printing in Italy

This paper aims at providing a comprehensive outlook on the economic and organisational rationale of 3D printing technologies and their implications for innovation in the Italian manufacturing industry. Despite its limited impact on the industrial world, the idea of printing actual 3D objects has clearly capturing the popular imagination; 3D printing is often linked to \u2018big changes\u2019 or to sometimes indefinite industrial revolutions in progress because it is considered that 3D printing will eventually enable \u2018mass customisation\u2019. None of the most significant actual applications of AM in Italian manufacturing, however, suggests that any real \u2018manufacturing revolution\u2019 has started or can be foreseen in the near future for consumer goods. For these AM is neither competitive today, nor can it be made so in the future, unless some sort of technological quantum leap occurs

Applications of AM

In this chapter, three strategic domains of Additive Manufacturing application are presented: tool making, medicine and transportation, with main benefits and results obtained by application of AM. Chapter presents some of on-going or already finished project from mentioned AM application fields

Reducing the scrap rate in an electronic manufacturing SME through Lean Six Sigma methodology

Purpose – The aim of this project was to reduce the level of scrap rate in the production of a product known as the “Remote Acceleration Sensor (RAS)” that is used for Air Bags through Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology. Design/methodology/approach – This is an action research that was conducted in a single case study and used the LSS methodology of DMAIC concentrating on one fully automated sub-process of the production called the “Overmould line”. Finding – It was found that implementing DMAIC methodology had an effective impact on the production and scrap rate was reduced achieving the 99.03% First Run Yield (FRY) from 98.4% FRY before implementation. This was the improvement from 3.65 to 3.85 in the Sigma scoring term with significant financial impact at this scale. Research Limitations/Implications – This action research could be deployed in other sub- processes of the production line, other processes of the company and could also be conducted in more than one single case study from the same sector. The research investigation needs to be fully controlled by the team in order to correctly gauge the effect of any changes made to the process. Practical Implications – This project adds further evidence of effectiveness of the LSS methodology in manufacturing SMEs through adding value to the process and reducing the scrap rate and waste. The project had greater saving than expected by the managers at £98,000 per annum. This saving could even be higher when the company is expanded. Originality/Value- The approach of this research project combines proven statistical tools with some basic but effective lean tools to be applied in an original sequence in order to design robust product and match manufacturing capabilities. Key Words – Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma, DMAIC, Manufacturing, SMEs, Scrap Rat