To print or not to print, which is something about a low priority for additive manufacturing – and what to do with it?

It seems that despite the continuous improvement and development of #additive #technologies, its importance in everyday life is still lower than we could imagine. Still, its total, enormous potential is marginalized in most professional applications. Although at first glance the amounts behind the world of #3Dprinting may seem huge, when compared to other aspects of "adult life" - they constitute only a fraction of this world. For example, let's imagine that the entire world of metal 3D printing is approximately USD 3.7 billions (data for 2023), and the growth of this market segment is approximately 17-25% year to year. The amount is huge, the potential is brilliant, as is the % of growth... but if you compare it, for example, with the #CNC equipment market -that the value of which is estimated at USD 67 billion and the growth in the coming years is forecast at 5%.... This means that in the amount referred to as growth of this market - the entire value of metal #3dprinting is hidden!!! Or close to this! Unimaginable! This clearly defines the priority of a given segment and may indicate that 3D printing... still needs greater understanding of its potential - and therefore a change in priorities.

The future will be more Additive

I am convinced that in the #future our world will make more use of the #power of #3Dprinting. No matter where we are today, #additivemanufacturing will be the answer to the changing needs of the world, consumers and industrial sectors. Flashes of the genius of additive technology appear in our lives every day. Printing food, organs, prostheses, implants, individual solutions, a different approach to design, remote printing, i.e. shortening supply chains - these and other aspects reveal and show the potential of the #technology. The changing world will increasingly open its doors and absorb additive methods - but before this happens, we must face the low priority for 3D printing, which is one of the main causes of the current slowdown in my opinion.

3D printing – backstage of the production!

#Prototyping, #tooling, #production optimization, #maintenance - these elements have always been a “first Choice” for the implementation of additive technologies. In a broader aspect - these elements significantly influence the entire production - but, as in “the movie world”, they are only a background or supporting cast for those who are on a pedestal. Although they ultimately create a production advantage for those who use them, their visibility and therefore ubiquity is unknown. From the beginning of my presence in the world of additive #manufacturing, it was amazing how difficult it was to obtain consent to share the use of #3Dprinters from real industrial world and, unfortunately, it will probably be like this for a long time. The light in the fog is that, thanks to a growing group of users, some information showing the "power" of the technology will become more visible and probably more often we will see something? incredible ?- but this is not the result of market openness or a change in approach - but a simple effect of scale and nothing more! And it is just a drop of a tear in our lives. Changing this approach of users should be a priority in everyday struggles in the world of 3D printing, because only this will allow the current situation to be stabilized and not worst.

Where and how to look for new development paths?

This is the element that, apart from stabilization, should be considered by all those who care about the fate of the additive world. From my point of view, one way to change priorities for 3D printing is to put more emphasis on its use in “production processes”. Not to change it but to put additive technology into the it’s framework. This is already noticed in some segments - such as construction, interior design or more and less complicated medicine, but the importance of other additive processes used in production is also growing, but slow... 3D printing thanks to technologies such as: DED is starting to make its mark in the world of professional applications. Using these methods replaces: high-energy surface hardening processes for example or additive surfacing, that adds elements to existing parts made it traditional methods. ?Through a modern approach to cladding, creating protective surfaces (coating) or a structural change in the production of parts - 3D printing (especially metal additive) is marking its ambition to become part of the world of first-class #production. The key to increasing the use of additive technology is the trend of accelerating it. That is why high-efficiency processes based on polymer pellets or other approaches to additive manufacturing from metal have appeared. Undoubtedly, the growing market awareness of the advantages of 3D printing forces #manufacturers to have greater stability and control over the process, which easily opens the path to more professional applications. It is still not obvious for many manufacturers - that is why it is so important for the world of additive technologies to listen to producers (future users) and follow the trend... which are already following, e.g. AI or robotization. In a world where safety is becoming everyone's priority, the aspect of control and ease of use will be key to the spread of #additivemanufacturing. So the first path is as follows - be faster with more control and find a place in the final production process.

But, could it be easier or different?

We want 3D printing to be part of the production world, we desperately seek opportunities every day. Every year some part of it is adapted to additive technology. However, despite the involvement of many, growth, or in other words, prioritization of additive production, is happening slower than we would like. What would happen if, instead of trying hard to implement 3D printing into existing processes, the world developed alternative production paths? The idea is for #3Dprinting to become a factor securing the production world by creating a manufacturing alternative. You can ask – what for? Imagine if every design was created for the purpose of being manufactured using traditional and additive methods…as a equivalent methods. Thus, additional security could be created for #manufacturing companies, users and develop a new space for social needs. This approach to manufacturing would transform service capabilities, shorten and secure the supply chain, accelerate technology transfer and ultimately secure the world on many levels, including an ECO approach. The introduction of production equivalence and its proper use fits perfectly into the "#Sustainability" trend, and the approach itself can provide the acceleration that the entire world of #additivemanufacturing is waiting for. So the second path – is production alternative.

Thinking every day about what is happening with the world of 3D printing, its strengths and weaknesses are analyzed. Asking myself internally what could be done to finally make the world more additive, I can notice how consciously or sometimes unconsciously lifelines are thrown to us. Legislation, logistical problems, increasing consumer requirements, even pandemic and an increasing concern about what will happen tomorrow - these are the elements that easily lead to the conclusion that an alternative to current production is needed and the way to?do this is to make it easier, cheaper and safer. We have to show that building alterative for existing, traditional production is both necessary and indispensable. For me, it is obvious that 3D printing is one of the main paths that needs to be developed and popularized to show that its importance in everyday life and use was greater... and therefore its priority was greater.

Stay with me!