Additive manufacturing is growing fast, and it’s likely to continue in an upward trajectory. That’s a key takeaway from the latest “3D Printing Trend Report” from online manufacturing platform Hubs. The company has been publishing these reports for several years, with this year’s edition based on a survey of 1,035 participants as well as media and market analyst firms.
According to the report, the manufacturing sector is increasingly using additive manufacturing. More engineers are using it more often and for larger orders. This is a clear indication that 3D-printing continues to evolve as a manufacturing technology for industrial use.
Metal 3D printing vs. Plastic
The polymer 3D-printing market continues to grow strongly, generating twice as much revenue as metal 3D-printing. Fused deposition modelling (FDM) was the most popular 3D print method among those surveyed (56%). Stereolithography, at 20%, came in second place.
3D printing has many applications, including prototyping, tooling and low-volume production. Metal and plastic 3D printers are used in these applications. Metal 3D printing is used in this application to print injection molds and plastic parts.
The aerospace industry is attracted to lightweighting
Aerospace, automotive and medical are three of the most common industries to use 3D printers. Aerospace was an early adopter of the technology — 3D printing’s ability to create lightweight parts has been a major draw, as lighter parts mean better fuel efficiency. It is possible to reduce the number of parts in larger assemblies.
Aerospace maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO), providers of 3D printers, are also on board. As the report points out, in 2022 GE Aviation’s Loyang facility in Singapore became the first MRO site to receive approval to use metal additive manufacturing to repair commercial jet engine parts. According to reports, repair times were cut in half.
Trends in serial mass production of automotive
In the automotive sector, 3D printing adoption has increased significantly over the last 30 year, with applications such as rapid prototyping (tooling), customization, spare part manufacturing, and serial production. Serial mass production in the automotive sector is a growing application, and automation and digitalized processes are contributing to its growth. Hubs gives as an example the IDAM project which created fully automated additive manufacturing lines capable of producing up to 50,000 parts a year.
Patient-specific implants
3D printing in the medical industry is used to produce anatomical models, surgical instruments and guides, as well patient-specific implant, prosthetics and surgical guides. In the dental sector, 3D printing is being used more and more. The vat photopolymerization technique (VPP) accounts for 60%. The technology is used by dental and orthodontic laboratories to create custom crowns and bridges, implants and surgical guides. 3D-printed clear aligner molds are used by many manufacturers of clear aligners to create customized aligners.
The report also discusses AI assisted 3D printing and sustainability. 4D printing is 3D printed parts which can change shape or properties when exposed externally to elements such as heat, light or moisture.
Growing trend of end-use parts
Hubs closes out the report by assessing where 3D printing is headed in the future — in short, end-use parts. Hubs estimates that only 20,72 percent of respondents in the survey currently use 3D printers to produce end-use parts. However, Hubs expects this number to steadily grow as technology improves. A trend towards large-volume production will likely continue. The number of companies producing 10 or more pieces during production runs has increased dramatically, from 49 % in 2021 to 76.24 % in 2022.
Hubs is an in-depth report that examines the growth of 3D printing and its impact on multiple industries. The technology is advancing and there are many signs that this will continue. The full Download the report Hubs is a site that allows you to access the Hubs website.