Knowledge networks for adoption of additive manufacturing: The role of maturity

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) has had a significant impact on manufacturing processes in many industries. The implementation of AM technology, however, involves several knowledge-related challenges, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We explore this topic by developing a theoretical model with the hypotheses that acquiring AM knowledge from networks is associated with competitive advantages from AM, and that this relationship can partly be explained by AM maturity. We test our model through a survey of Danish manufacturing SMEs. The findings show that AM knowledge acquisition from networks is positively associated with competitive advantages from AM, where around 40 percent of this relationship is explained by higher AM maturity. Furthermore, the findings suggest that different types of knowledge networks have different effects on AM maturity and competitive advantages from AM.