Abstract
A clear and understandable Technology Roadmap (TRM) is necessary to planning and navigating change in the product development process. The fabric of the 3D printing landscape is complex and difficult to understand from single snapshot approach and a TRM is only as useful as it is understandable and easily communicable. Successful Technology Roadmapping involves expert industry analysis, technology expertise, and visual story telling. This research builds upon the principles of existing Technology Roadmapping practices to develop models that apply to the consumer market of the 3D content-to-print industry. In managing the involved complexity, multiple tools and methods have been explored, focusing on the efficacy and legibility of TRM’s. Literature review, analysis of market forces, patent analysis, and quality functional deployment (QFD) were used to establish current and future market drivers and subsequent product features. Technology forecasting and scenario analysis were then used to create product portfolios for 3D content manufactures. The application and research explored creating two future product scenario’s; a low cost (LC) product that would maintain the current state of the art performance metrics tailored to the mass market consumer and a high performance (HP) product that would continue to push the capability of the at home manufacturing performance. These bifurcating foci further complicate the visual illustration of these roadmaps. An exercise in visual display of a large blanket of networks and relationships has led to a powerful tool used to identify future reach and impacts of early technological investments.
Highlights
Because the CubeTM was a responsive action to catch the leaders in the consumer space, it is critical that the company creates a comprehensive technology roadmap (TRM) to help create a plan that supports the company’s strategic objective
While it is urgent that the range of affordable printers is extended into homes, initiatives must be executed with a comprehensive plan that tightly ties the research and development activities to the consumer market drivers
The generation of three dimensional printing is based on a technology known as FDM or Fused Deposition Modeling, invented by Scott Crump in the late 1980’s, and commercialized by 1990 [9], through the company Stratasys Inc, which he co-founded [10]
Summary
Because the CubeTM was a responsive action to catch the leaders in the consumer space, it is critical that the company creates a comprehensive technology roadmap (TRM) to help create a plan that supports the company’s strategic objective. While it is urgent that the range of affordable printers is extended into homes, initiatives must be executed with a comprehensive plan that tightly ties the research and development activities to the consumer market drivers. To effectively use this tool, it must be modified to fit the specific needs of the 3D content-to-print business model. In budding and complex industry, like 3D content-to-print, relationship and network mapping is an increasingly useful tool. With so much of the landscape, technological directions, and consumer values yet to be developed, relationship mapping is a powerful tool to understand the magnitude and reach of technological investments or working directions. This paper shares the research and models that have been developed to apply to the home 3D content-to-print market division in creation of this TRM
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