Exploring creativity management of design for additive manufacturing

7. Conclusions
To increase the understanding of how to nurture creativity when approaching new technologies 
such as AM, this paper contributes with insights of creativity management in AM. Previous 
research show a great focus on the AM technology itself, with a highly limited involvement of 
creativity management in current design for AM support tools, models and frameworks for design 
practices. This paper contributes with an initial model of propositions needed to further develop 
a creativity management for AM framework. The findings of the study presented in this paper are 
synthesized into the following three propositions of areas that need to be considered for a future 
framework of creativity for AM. Each proposition is linked to the three components of creativity, 
and shows directions for both managers and for future research.
Proposition (1) 
involves the need for a creativity management system in place that enables 
designers to increase their expertise level when approaching new technology such as AM. By doing 
so, they have a higher likelihood to take advantage of their creative abilities.
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Such a creativity management system also needs to ensure that designers have room for 
exploring constitutions of AM, which in turn will give them the opportunity to expand their 
expertise. Since there are a high variety of information that need to be considered in AM designs 
(such as part orientation, support materials, material properties, and so forth), some kind of 
synthesis could be beneficial for designers approaching AM in their design practices. In relation 
to this, designers need support in relation to having AM machine availability and/or AM expertise 
available for discussions (or an AM coordinator which interlink AM activities in the organization 
for extensive learning opportunities).