Conventional or additive manufacturing for spare parts management: An extensive comparison for Poisson demand

Abstract Due to the main peculiarities of spare parts, i.e. intermittent demands, long procurement lead times and high downtime costs when parts are not available on time, it is often difficult find optimal inventory level. Recently, Additive Manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a promising technique improve management thanks ‘print demand’ approach. So far, however, impact AM been little considered, yet clear use for would provide benefits over Conventional (CM) techniques. With this paper we thus aim contribute field by developing decision trees that can be support managers practitioners. To aim, considered Poisson-based system carried out parametrical analysis considering different part sizes complexity, backorder consumption. Moreover, evaluated scenarios where order-up-to level limited resemble applications with storage capacity. For first was just one CM technique, but several techniques were also combined post-process treatments, total nine sourcing alternatives. In addition, economic technical performance options obtained an interdisciplinary approach, experts from production economics material science brought together.