Additive manufacturing (AM) belongs to key enabling technologies where Europe has the leading research role. The AM technologies put considerably fewer limits on shape of the manufactured objects than conventional technologies, and offer unparalleled freedom to industrial and mechanical designers. Since the AM technologies are insensitive to production scale, they put in focus knowledge and creativity of designers instead of low prices of mass production, paving the way to development of new business models. The AM technologies, therefore, represent a technology platform that may best serve Europe in its intent to develop knowledge-based economy, driven by innovation.
However, the industrial deployment of AM technologies is hindered by a gap that exists between the excellent research and its exploitation in industry. The research knowledge about the AM technologies is published in scientific journals and in conference proceedings, in form suitable for researchers. On the other hand, industrial and mechanical designers use sets of design rules, which represent condensed and comprehensive form of the research findings that are easy to follow. The lack of sets of design rules for AM technologies is one of important reasons why engineers often prefer conventional technologies to AM.