Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the business models that 3D printer manufacturers apply to commercialize their technologies. The authors investigate these business models and analyze whether there are business model patterns. The paper describes the gestalt of the business model patterns and discusses differences and similarities. Design/methodology/approach The authors review the literatures on business models and 3D printing technology. The authors apply a componential business model approach and carry out an in-depth analysis of the business models of 48 3D printer manufacturers in Europe and North America. The authors develop a framework focusing on value proposition, value creation and value capture components. Cluster analysis is used to identify business model patterns. Findings The results indicate that there are two distinct business model patterns in the industry. The authors termed these patterns the “low-cost online business model” and the “technology expert business model.” The results demonstrate that there is a relationship between business model and technology. The identified patterns are independent of age, company size and country of origin. Research limitations/implications The empirical results complement and extend existing literature on business models. The authors contribute to the discussion on business models in the context of novel technology. The technology seems to influence the gestalt of the business model. The sample is limited to European and North American companies and the analysis is based on secondary data. Originality/value This is the first empirical study on the business models of 3D printer manufacturers. The authors apply an original mixed-methods approach and develop a framework that can function as a starting point for future research. 3D printer manufacturers can use the identified business model patterns as blueprints to reduce the risk of failure or as a starting point for business model innovation.

中文翻译：

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3D 打印机制造商的商业模式模式

目的 本文的目的是分析 3D 打印机制造商用于将其技术商业化的商业模式。作者调查这些商业模式并分析是否存在商业模式模式。本文描述了商业模式模式的格式塔，并讨论了不同之处和相似之处。设计/方法/途径 作者回顾了有关商业模式和 3D 打印技术的文献。作者运用组件化的商业模式方法，对欧洲和北美的48家3D打印机制造商的商业模式进行了深入分析。作者开发了一个专注于价值主张、价值创造和价值捕获组成部分的框架。聚类分析用于识别业务模型模式。调查结果 结果表明，行业中有两种截然不同的商业模式模式。作者将这些模式称为“低成本在线商业模式”和“技术专家商业模式”。结果表明，商业模式和技术之间存在关系。识别出的模式与年龄、公司规模和原产国无关。研究局限性/影响 实证结果补充和扩展了现有的商业模式文献。作者对新技术背景下的商业模式的讨论做出了贡献。该技术似乎影响了商业模式的格式塔。样本仅限于欧洲和北美公司，分析基于二手数据。原创性/价值 这是对 3D 打印机制造商商业模式的首次实证研究。作者应用了一种原始的混合方法方法，并开发了一个框架，可以作为未来研究的起点。3D 打印机制造商可以将确定的商业模式模式用作蓝图，以降低失败风险或作为商业模式创新的起点。