Growth areas and market potential for metal Additive Manufacturing

The 3D printing / Additive Manufacturing industry as a whole has seen consistent year-on-year growth of 20% for the last ten-plus years. Some softening occurred in the Global Financial Crisis of 2009, and again in 2020, but these were still positive growth years.

While growth values are a good indication of the market potential for metal 3D printing, perhaps more important is the specific breakdown by Additive Manufacturing technology type, geographic spread, and sector type.

The industries with the highest potential for Additive Manufacturing adoption are those with the longest certification time horizons, i.e. aerospace, medical, and automotive. While many AM products are now in production, there are many more that are still working their way through the certification process.

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Newer and more rapidly growing industries such as electric vehicles, renewable energy, and commercial spaceflight are increasingly finding the designs and materials enabled by Additive Manufacturing advantageous.

The geographic areas with the highest market potential for metal 3D printing remain Europe and the US, with many of the major Additive Manufacturing customers located in these regions, and thus suppliers located close to their customer base. China has been a rapidly growing market for some time but operates more internally, with domestic consumption met by domestic supply. Other markets in Asia, from countries such as India, Japan, and Korea, have been slower to start, but are now enthusiastic adopters of AM technology.

Many challenges still need to be overcome for AM to become a more mainstream manufacturing tool. The repeatability and reliability of the process, post-processing requirements, Additive Manufacturing talent pool, lack of standardisation, reduced material options, and high cost of machines and materials are just some of the factors that are holding back adoption. Nevertheless, advances continue to be made, both by industry and the research community, that advance our understanding of AM and accelerate the adoption of Additive Manufacturing.

> Next page: Summary and outlook on the metal Additive Manufacturing

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Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • Metal powders in Additive Manufacturing: An exploration of sustainable production, usage and recycling
  • Inside Wayland Additive: How innovation in electron beam PBF is opening new markets for AM
  • An end-to-end production case study: Leveraging data-driven machine learning and autonomous process control in AM
  • Consolidation, competition, and the cost of certification: Insight from New York’s AM Strategies 2024
  • Scandium’s impact on the Additive Manufacturing of aluminium alloys
  • AM for medical implants: An analysis of the impact of powder reuse in Powder Bed Fusion

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The free to access Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of metal Additive Manufacturing from a commercial and technological perspective through:

  • Reports on visits to leading metal AM part manufacturers and industry suppliers
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  • Information on materials developments
  • Reviews of key technical presentations from the international conference circuit
  • International industry news

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