Technology of 3D printing is opening the possibility for small-scale production in quantities between ten and several hundred pieces. The technology of adding material enables the production of complex and integrated functional concepts in a single-pass process, which consequently potentially reduces the need for assembly operations. Design approaches and manufacturing processing are not mastered well because of a constant stream of new materials and manufacturing options. Well-designed products need to consider attributes of 3D printing as early as the conceptual phase. The cost of the product can be reduced with a systematic research and considering principles for small-scale production. In a cheaper, alternative production process the quality range of products is often lower. It has to be compensated with appropriate construction solutions which are less tolerance-sensitive. Therefore, in order to support the designer, to reduce the costs and design time of the product, a computer program was created to provide the user with an insight into the appropriate 3D printing technology. For simplifying the use, the program is also integrated into the product development process.

Agricultural Planning Expert is a software model designed for advising small-scale farmers in southern Maryland. Choosing farm enterprises is modelled as consisting of four activities: suggesting enterprises for consideration, investigating the suitability of enterprises, allocating resources to suitable enterprises, and controlling the overall direction of an advising session.

The Wheat and Stocker Cattle Analyzer is a microcomputer decision aid for evaluating interrelated wheat production and stocker cattle grazing decisions under yield, weight gain, and price uncertainty. An important feature of the model is that wheat commodity program provisions are incorporated into the analysis. A wide range of alternatives including wheat production for grain only, owned stocker cattle grazing, and wheat pasture leasing can be evaluated by the program.

A computer system for implementing electronic markets on networks of personal computers is described. The program allows a researcher or teacher to design market simulations to meet a variety of goals, and records a complete set of market activities for analysis. Illustrations of example markets are provided, and the classroom application of market simulations in teaching agricultural economics is discussed.