A Total Cost of Ownership Analysis of Additive Manufacturing as a Service

List, Burkhard and Buhmann, Tobias and Ivkic, Igor (2025) A Total Cost of Ownership Analysis of Additive Manufacturing as a Service. In: Cloud Computing and Services Science :. Communications in Computer and Information Science . Springer Nature, PRT. ISBN 9783031681646 (In Press)

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Abstract

Global manufacturing is experiencing a profound transformation as industries move away from resource-intensive mass production towards models that emphasise sustainability, localisation, and flexibility. Within this context, Manufacturing as a Service (MaaS) has emerged as a promising paradigm that leverages cloud technologies and additive manufacturing to enable on-demand, distributed production. This paper applies a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) perspective to evaluate the economic viability of MaaS in a holistic ecosystem setting. Our analysis considers multiple dimensions of additive manufacturing, including energy consumption, material usage, and production times, in order to identify the cost drivers that shape the feasibility of the MaaS approach. Building on these insights, we propose a profit-sharing framework that translates TCO outcomes into a distributive model, ensuring transparent and equitable value allocation among key stakeholders such as platform operators, service providers, and customers. The results demonstrate that TCO analysis provides a powerful lens for assessing both efficiency and sustainability in MaaS, while the profit-sharing model offers a practical mechanism for balancing incentives and responsibilities across the ecosystem. By integrating cost transparency with fair value distribution, this work advances the discussion on how MaaS can contribute to resilient, economically viable, and socially sustainable manufacturing networks.