Additive manufacturing as an enabler for enhanced consumer involvement

The proposed paper will draw on previous work done by the authors to use functional prototypes, produced using additive manufacturing (AM), as a means to draw customer input and preferences into new product development. This technique was referred to as Customer Interaction through Functional Prototypes (CIFP). The CIFP philosophy, as originally developed, has been proven both in consumer and medical products. In recent years, the authors have developed further concepts of AM-enabled enhanced consumer involvement within their respective research teams. The paper will discuss the extended use of CIFP in the VUT's Technology Transfer and Innovation Directorate to support grant holders of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) Support Programme for Industrial Innovation (SPII) and Technology and Innovation Agency (TIA) to develop innovative new product concepts. The paper will then go on to discuss a novel method of consumer interaction developed at Loughborough University referred to as Computer-aided Consumer Design (CaCODE). This technique allows non- designers to take an existing product design, e.g. a pen, and modify its shape, in real- time, until they create a customised version of the product that meets their needs. The modification is limited within pre-defined parameters to make sure that any final design is functional and producible using AM.