Additive Manufacturing (AM) brings opportunities to create designs with complex geometries that would be impossible or very difficult to produce using conventional manufacturing technologies. While AM is widely seen as a means to increase the creativity of designers and thus innovation within organisations, there is a lack of understanding of how designers can manage their creativity while working with Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). In this thesis, designers are suggested to engage in individual creativity management, which refers to a system of practices and methods for managing creativity in design practices. Ultimately, designers may need to adopt a new set of practices and methods when designing for AM. Although it is often argued that AM brings a higher degree of design freedom that allows them to ‘think outside the box’, this freedom is not limitless as AM comes with its own set of boundaries in design. It can also be difficult for designers to grasp the new limitations and possibilities offered by this manufacturing technology and to incorporate them into their design work. There are a wide range of DfAM tools, methods and frameworks available, all with different emphases, making it difficult for designers to discern directions for managing their creative work. The purpose of the research presented in this thesis is to advance the understanding of creativity in DfAM. This thesis adopts an iterative approach to qualitative research based on empirical data and literature studies. Empirical data comes from five cases across the three studies reported in the six appended papers. The majority of the collected empirical data has been gathered through semi-structured interviews designed to capture the experiences and viewpoints of designers working creatively in DfAM. Three of the cases have also been studied in a longitudinal study, providing an in-depth understanding of the progress of DfAM for each design.

Based on the studies, a framework for creativity in DfAM is proposed. This framework is intended to assist designers in nurturing their creative abilities while adapting to working with AM. Initially, three important components of creativity in DfAM were identified: motivation, creative thinking, and expertise. Furthermore, three key characteristics that influence the designer in managing their creativity were then identified for each of these components. AM motivation concerns the individual designer’s goals and values in adopting AM, as well as the influence of the incentive to adopt AM within the design team, the organisation, and the industry as a whole. Three key characteristics of creativity management related to motivation were derived: collaboration, freedom for learning and defining DfAM boundaries. AM creative thinking concerns the need to reach a creative solution fit for AM. Here, the three key characteristics the visionary, realistic and analytic perspectives are derived. AM expertise is covered by both AM knowledge and AM experience. Here, the three key characteristics were identified as the knowledge domains: materials, machine and process and design.

The framework presented in this thesis highlights key characteristics of creativity in DfAM and is intended to assist designers in managing their own creativity when working in additive manufacturing. The framework may help individual designers to reach their full creative potential during the adoption of AM. The identification of key characteristics also contributes to the research areas product development in engineering design, design for additive manufacturing (DfAM), and creativity in design. All three of these research areas may well benefit from the results presented in this thesis, providing a greater understanding of creativity when applied to design for additive manufacturing.