Abstract

A radical revolution in manufacturing has started to take place owing to rapid prototyping (RP), which based on completely new additive techniques, produce fully functional parts directly from a three-dimensional computer aided design model without the use of tooling. This offers the potential to change the concept of prototyping, manufacturing, service and distribution, with opportunities for producing highly complex and customised products. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the global economy, extensively producing while making a significant and crucial contribution to the global economy. The latest status has boosted the importance of the SMEs in both developed and developing countries due to the increased reliance on international partners. However are these SMEs ready to take on this global challenge? This paper investigates the main barriers of deployment of RP in SMEs. These barriers are prioritised in an attempt to promote a new change management approach to improve the integration of RP technology into SMEs.