A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Additive Manufacturing as a Service

TL;DR

This paper evaluates a cloud-based Manufacturing as a Service platform utilizing additive manufacturing, demonstrating its technical feasibility and economic benefits, including profit sharing and environmental advantages, through a detailed cost-benefit analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a scalable, cloud-enabled MaaS platform with a service-oriented architecture, integrating multiple 3D printers and providing a comprehensive economic assessment.

Findings

The platform is technically feasible and economically profitable.

Localised on-demand manufacturing reduces environmental impact.

The profit-sharing model ensures fair stakeholder compensation.

Abstract

The global manufacturing landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift from resource-intensive mass production to sustainable, localised manufacturing. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of a Cloud Crafting Platform that enables Manufacturing as a Service (MaaS) through additive manufacturing technologies. The platform connects web shops with local three-dimensional (3D) printing facilities, allowing customers to purchase products that are manufactured on-demand in their vicinity. We present the platform's Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), deployment on the Microsoft Azure cloud, and integration with three different 3D printer models in a testbed environment. A detailed cost-benefit analysis demonstrates the economic viability of the approach, which generates significant profit margins. The platform implements a weighted profit-sharing model that fairly compensates all stakeholders based on their investment and operational responsibilities. Our results show that on-demand, localised manufacturing through MaaS is not only technically feasible but also economically viable, while reducing environmental impact through shortened supply chains and elimination of inventory waste. The platform's extensible architecture allows for future integration of additional manufacturing technologies beyond 3D printing.