The 3D Printing Revolution
How 3D Printing Is Revolutionizing Everything
Image Source: ProstoSvet/stock.adobe.com
By Brandon Lewis for Mouser Electronics
Published August 20, 2024
Since 3D printing was introduced in the early 1980s, additive manufacturing has excited technologists and business leaders with its potential. Yet, due to cost, material availability, and complexity, it has remained confined to niche applications for much of its lifespan. This has begun to change thanks to recent developments in the additive manufacturing sector.
A Brief History of Additive Manufacturing
The world’s first commercially available 3D printer was released in 1987, and the market quickly grew to encompass multiple additive manufacturing technologies. In these early days, the expense of 3D printing relegated the technology to high-cost, low-volume production. This would remain the case for several decades until the 2000s saw a surge of innovation, culminating with the development of fused deposition modeling.
With this new technology, 3D printing was now within reach for hobbyists. A third wave of innovation soon followed, and in the 2010s, filament fabrication and continuous fiber reinforcement allowed parts to be printed more quickly and accurately with various new material options. By 2014, the 3D printing industry generated over $1 billion in annual revenue.[1]
It wasn't until the 2020s that additive manufacturing became relevant for broad commercial use, with technological advancements unlocking a range of benefits across industries.
Laying the Foundation for Industry 4.0
Compared to traditional manufacturing technology, additive manufacturing can significantly reduce process complexity through single-part assemblies.[2] 3D printing technology also enables greater design freedom, flexibility, and efficiency. These advantages translate to several significant commercial benefits, including shorter lead times, on-demand production, sustainability, and operational resilience.
Shorter Lead Times
Because 3D printing technology excels at quickly producing individual items at a low cost, it’s well-suited for rapid prototyping. Manufacturers also don’t need to worry about setting up tooling between prototype and production, as the same equipment can be used to support both. As a result, 3D printing technology has the potential to significantly reduce lead times for applications such as:
- product development,
- low-volume production,
- mass customization and serialization,
- made-to-order production, and
- on-location manufacturing.
On-Demand Production
Using additive manufacturing technology allows businesses to rapidly produce any item or component with a controlled cost structure and fixed lead time. The most significant advantage of this capability is the extent to which it simplifies product maintenance and support in the field. Companies can print them on-site rather than having to pre-produce components or parts.
This also translates to lower logistics costs and a potential reduction in carbon emissions. Because businesses can rely on virtual stock, they do not need to maintain a large inventory of products and components or worry about transporting those items.
Sustainability
According to a review published in Environmental Science & Technology, additive manufacturing reduces overhead and environmental impact for use cases with low production volumes.[3] 3D printing is also more sustainable in applications where the production of traditional components produces significant waste or when reducing the weight of aircraft and automotive components. Finally, shortening supply chains by consolidating production steps means fewer emissions are generated by transportation.
Operational Resilience
Additive manufacturing can improve resilience by allowing businesses to recreate components for legacy systems on-site rather than sourcing them from a third party. Manufacturing these components with more modern materials may also improve both durability and reliability, enable distributed production, and eliminate the reliance on consolidated manufacturing facilities.
Barriers to the Growth of Additive Manufacturing
The benefits of additive manufacturing are apparent. Decentralized companies consistently outperform companies that rely on traditional processes.[4] The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of supply chain resilience and the consequences of supply chain disruption—an issue for which additive manufacturing seems an ideal solution.
Yet outside of the automotive, aerospace, and defense sectors, 3D printing technology still doesn’t see widespread use, accounting for just 0.1 percent of the total manufacturing market.[5] There are several reasons for this.
First, 3D printing technology tends to be quite cost-prohibitive, especially in the case of commercial systems. Moreover, because 3D printing was originally developed for prototyping, most widely available technology is ill-suited for high-volume applications. This lack of support for mass production also extends to software, making 3D printing challenging to integrate into digitally enabled factories.
Due to the nature of 3D printing, quality control is also a challenge, with even the slightest variation potentially ruining an entire print. Many 3D printing devices require a working knowledge of 3D modeling technology as well, and some pre-made CAD models may be defective or of unacceptable quality.
Further compounding matters, additive manufacturing was, until very recently, highly restrictive regarding usable materials, with prints limited mainly to plastic and polylactic acids (PLAs).[6] Although the industry has made great strides in recent years, materials management remains an ongoing concern.
In industries like construction, the adoption of 3D printing faces challenges due to lengthy testing processes required for building materials to meet code requirements. Material approval processes can be costly and time consuming, creating barriers despite the available capabilities and design expertise in the field.
Current State of the Additive Manufacturing Market
According to a report by Vantage Market Research, the additive manufacturing market was valued at US $14.5 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach roughly $69.3 billion by 2030.[7] Automotive, aerospace, healthcare, dental care, and consumer goods are sectors leading in additive manufacturing adoption and driving much of the industry's growth. The report also notes that technology manufacturers such as Siemens and HP have begun introducing 3D printers and new materials to their product lines, while production-grade industrial 3D printers are becoming faster, larger, and more widespread.
While additive manufacturing has remained largely confined to prototyping and tooling for much of its lifespan, 2024 could be the year that changes. As a result of recent advancements, additive manufacturing now offers the following benefits:[8]
- Less cost-prohibitive, thanks to the release of affordable midrange machines
- Faster and more accurate due to more efficient extruders and lasers, software enhancements, etc.
- More technically accessible due to a combination of training and ecosystem development
- Focused more on sustainability and using sustainable materials
- Shifting toward market consolidation, collaboration, and serialized production
- Increasingly supportive of mass production and high-volume applications
Emerging Trends and Advancements in Additive Manufacturing
The hype that additive manufacturing would supplant or render traditional production obsolete has begun to die down. Instead, the technology is finding applications in high-mix, low-volume parts production. At the same time, additive manufacturing is being reshaped in the following ways.
New Materials
As more businesses and industries adopt additive manufacturing, the technology's material choices are becoming less limited. Companies are increasingly exploring specialized materials designed for specific use cases, such as those with characteristics like flexibility, biocompatibility, and increased strength. Flame-resistant, food-grade, and sustainable materials are also becoming more common.
The increased use of high-performance alloys and metals is particularly noteworthy, as metallic and metal-infused prints unlock a range of new use cases. Titanium prints, for example, are well-suited for aerospace and automotive applications due to their weight and durability. Stainless steel is seeing increased use in medical and industrial applications, while aluminum has become common in both the automotive and electronics sectors.
Metals and biocompatible silicon aren't the only new materials being introduced to 3D printing, either. Bioprinting uses living cells themselves as material.
Artificial Intelligence
Intelligent 3D printing platforms solve two more significant problems with industrial-scale additive manufacturing. First, because AI can monitor and adjust print parameters in real time, it significantly reduces the likelihood of failed or defective prints. AI can also provide valuable insight that may improve future production runs.
AI also has the potential to make 3D printing considerably more user-friendly by algorithmically translating product plans and blueprints into 3D models. Several leading 3D modeling platforms, including Blender, Autodesk, and SketchUp, have already integrated generative AI into their offerings.
Serialized Production
One of the most significant roadblocks to industrial additive manufacturing has been that 3D printers were not originally designed for high-volume applications. That's changing with the development of larger and more efficient commercial printers. Serialized additive manufacturing is now a very real possibility, with materials and production processes that are both efficient and designed to fulfill industry standards.
5G Integration
Combining 3D printers with 5G technology allows businesses to more readily support on-site manufacturing while also enabling greater control over and monitoring of print operations. The two technologies also make it easier for businesses to integrate 3D printing technology into existing factory ecosystems by supporting fast, low-latency data transfer.
Printing Innovation
Emerging innovations and advances in additive manufacturing equipment have enabled several astounding new applications for the technology, spanning multiple industries and verticals.
Manufacturing Organs, Bones, and More
In early 2024, surgeons in Korea performed the first 3D-printed organ transplant, giving a patient a new trachea created entirely from stem cells.[9] Organs are only the beginning, though. Eventually, bioprinting could be used to manufacture everything, such as teeth, muscle cells, bones, and entire limbs.
Additive manufacturing may soon be used alongside soft robotics to create highly realistic prosthetics with a full range of motion. Additionally, hospitals and care providers could design and manufacture custom exosuits that assist patients with locomotion and rehabilitation.
Surgical and rehabilitative applications aside, additive manufacturing also enables point-of-care production of other medical devices, such as surgical instruments, dental equipment, and molds. This could also be used to provide emergency supplies to areas impacted by ongoing catastrophes.
Last but certainly not least, pharmacies could eventually print their own drugs directly in-store instead of relying on shipments from pharmaceutical providers, enabling an unprecedented level of access to medication.
Modeling the Past
Additive manufacturing has the potential to aid in the reconstruction of everything from skeletons to cities, particularly when combined with generative AI. Forensic artists and scientists can use the technology to bridge evidential gaps and provide accurate physical reconstructions of victims and crime scenes. Archaeologists and anthropologists, meanwhile, could potentially leverage additive manufacturing to help them learn more about ancient animals, peoples, cities, and civilizations. Additive manufacturing could also be used to restore destroyed monuments, buildings, and artwork.
Designing Print-Ready Structures
The technology to transform building blueprints into 3D models has existed for years. 3D printing technology could allow construction to begin immediately after a design is finished. Once building codes and regulations have caught up with the technology, we could see a future where buildings go up in days rather than months.
Supporting the Supply Chain of the Future
We’ve already touched on the potential for 3D printing to enable supply chain resilience and sustainability through local manufacturing. But businesses can take that a step further. As printers grow progressively more sophisticated, we could see a future where consumer goods are custom printed at the moment of sale, resulting in personalization on a previously impossible scale.
Exploring the Stars
One of the most significant challenges holding back space travel and exploration is keeping astronauts supplied with what they need to survive. In addition to food, a crewed mission to a planet like Mars would require significant equipment, components, and tools. That’s where additive manufacturing comes in.
Imagine if spacefaring vessels were equipped with a 3D printer that they could use to create whatever items they needed on demand. That single piece of equipment would exponentially reduce the supplies they'd need to bring on the trip, greatly simplifying the logistics of manned flights to distant worlds. Additive manufacturing could even be used for stellar construction and terraforming.[10]
Embracing Hybrid Manufacturing
It is unlikely that additive manufacturing will ever replace traditional production. Then again, it doesn't need to. The new use cases it enables—and the potential benefits it brings to industries such as automotive, aerospace, and construction—are incredibly compelling.
Instead, we will likely see a future where businesses embrace the best of both worlds, using traditional manufacturing techniques for high-volume production while relying on additive manufacturing for everything from custom headphones to food and limbs.
Sources
[1]https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2015/07/30/4-1-billion-industry-forecast-in-crazy-3d-printing-stock-market/#57e7d24925df
[2]https://www.alphaprecisionpm.com/blog/top-10-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-using-additive-manufacturing
[3]https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.2c04927
[4]https://www.egonzehnder.com/functions/chief-executive-officers/insights/why-decentralized-companies-outperform-their-industrial-peers
[5]https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimvinoski/2024/03/18/the-case-for-bullishness-on-3d-printing/
[6]https://lasertekservices.com/blogs/default-blog/3-things-that-are-holding-back-3d-printing-technology
[7]https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/additive-manufacturing-market-2349
[8]https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/3d-printing-trends-for-2024-industry-expert-analysis-on-what-to-watch-this-year-228030/
[9]https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/breakthrough-3d-printed-organ-windpipe
[10]https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-plant-inspired-robots-that-could-colonize-mars/