A Framework for the Integration of Additive Manufacturing into Traditional Production Systems in Nigerian Industry

This dissertation develops a comprehensive framework for integrating additive manufacturing technologies into traditional production systems in Nigerian industry, providing original theoretical and practical contributions to both additive manufacturing adoption literature and production systems integration research. Additive manufacturing, encompassing fused deposition modelling, selective laser sintering, and direct metal laser sintering among other technologies, offers transformative potential for spare parts production, tooling fabrication, and small-batch customised manufacturing; however, its integration into existing production system architectures presents complex technical, organisational, and economic challenges for which no theoretically grounded guidance exists for the Nigerian industrial context. The research employs a design science research methodology, combining systematic literature review, in-depth expert interviews with forty-three engineers and production managers across the oil and gas, automotive components, and medical devices sectors in Rivers, Lagos, and Kano states, and iterative framework design and evaluation cycles. The resulting integration framework specifies decision models for additive manufacturing application domain selection, production system configuration design, digital infrastructure requirements, workforce competency development, and supply chain reconfiguration. Empirical testing of the framework at two industrial pilot sites demonstrates its practical validity and identifies refinements for the finalised framework. An original contribution is the concept of production system hybridisation maturity levels for characterising the progressive integration of additive manufacturing capabilities. Keywords: additive manufacturing, production system integration, design science research, hybridisation maturity, Nigeria