'The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology'
Abstract
Today Additive Manufacturing (AM) is mainly used for rapid prototyping and
specialized parts for industrial and end-user applications. To communicate the design potentials of
AM to a general audience it is useful to demonstrate it with a visionary product, similar to the
concept cars of the automotive industry. We have redesigned a power tool to show the benefits of
AM on an end-user product. This paper describes the Concept Tool, its different sub-systems and
highlights the range of AM’s applications. Furthermore we present our observations and findings
during the product development process. Based on these findings a design supporting system is
suggested to improve the development process for additive manufactured products.Mechanical Engineerin
