This study presents the development of a new pedagogical method, namely the model of technical pedagogy, for learning additive manufacturing (AM) due to the speed of the technological development. The speed of the technological devel-opment of AM is faster than of the educational one; curricula and teaching meth-ods have to evolve all the time in order to keep up with the development. The im-plementation of AM into the mechanical engineering curriculum in Lapland uni-versity of applied sciences (Lapland UAS) in Finland is used as an example in this study. The aim and purpose of this study is to create a model of technical pedagogy which gives universities the possibility to integrate AM into their cur-riculum more efficiently. This happens by combining traditional pedagogy into technical subjects in curriculum development work. This study also presents the learning concept of AM which shows the learning to be inversely proportional to the requirements of AM. Identification of the learning process of AM help the educators to plan AM education more efficiently.

The demand to fulfil a wider range of customer requirements is increasing constantly as well as the need for the customizable production tools. At the same time, the product life cycle as well as the lead time for product development shortens. To respond these changing needs, digital product development enables faster development of complex products but challenges the communica­tion and the data management. Digital design methods and manufacturing processes enable this development and decrease the need for expensive prototyping. In this research, digital design and manufacturing process means such a process where design and manufacturing can be done even over long distances between physical location of designers and the production line. An empirical case study of a configurable bathroom faucet was performed. The digital design for manu­facturing using sand casting and laser additive manufacturing as alternative digital manu­facturing technologies were researched in this study as possible methods for manufacturing these configurable products.

Powder bed fusion of metals using a laser beam (PBF-LB/M) is a widely adopted additive manufacturing (AM) technique, particularly effective for producing complex geometries and thin-walled structures. While thin powder layers enable high precision and fine surface finishes, they also reduce manufacturing speed, creating a trade-off between quality and productivity. This study explores the relationship between geometrical complexity and manufacturability in PBF-LB/M by developing a specialized numerical framework. A comprehensive review of existing manufacturability evaluation methods, which focusses on feature-based and knowledge-based approaches is presented, with applications across the aerospace, biomedical, and automotive industries. The study highlights the importance of layer thickness as a key process parameter and conducts a preliminary evaluation of its impact on building time and manufacturability. The proposed framework provides step-by-step guidance to support early-stage design decisions, allowing optimization of part geometry for reduced cycle time and cost. Initial validation is performed using industrial case studies and build-time simulations using Aconity and Netfabb software. Although the current focus is on layer thickness, the framework sets the groundwork for future studies that incorporate broader process parameters, contributing to improved manufacturability evaluation and decision-making in AM.