The future for design education: preparing the design workforce for additive manufacturing

Abstract

The role of the designer is changing. This is in response to the development of integrated digital technologies that have recently matured. The future role of the designer is unlikely to be an evolution of past practice, but rather be characterised as a step-change in practice. This is because the basic premise of the designer has remained relatively unchanged since the industrial revolution even with advances in technology, until now. Rather than providing additional manufacturing tools, the recent development of additive manufacturing technologies for direct manufacturing is proving to be a catalyst for the renegotiation of relationships between designers and consumers, and adoption of new approaches to design and supply enabled by digital communication. This article considers the implications for product design education with examples of changing student practice and curriculum in the development of a workforce to meet the opportunities and challenges of additive manufacturing and associated digital technologies.