The past year has shown that additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, is becoming a serious and mature manufacturing technology—one suitable for making small to medium-sized series of parts and not just prototyping.
Following are six trends that we at Replique think will have a major impact on those using AM technology in 2022 and beyond.
1. Bigger, Faster, and Cheaper Equipment.
3D printing technologies are evolving quickly, spurring the introduction of more capable, less expensive printers. At the same time, rising demand for specialized materials that can fulfill the required properties of end parts will continue to drive development of new materials.
An important feature of the new-generation printers, especially industrial-grade models, is their ability to handle a broader range of advanced materials. This opens the door for more businesses to benefit from AM than ever before.
Although machine costs remain high, higher printing speeds are pushing the price of parts down. And thanks to features such as dual-extrusion printheads, the versatility of AM is growing. We predict an uptick in the use of 3D printing across a wider range of industries.
Another trend likely to drive growth is the ability to print parts without support structures, which, again, broadens the range of applications AM can handle and yields cost and time savings.
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