Additive manufacturing has become an important part of the digital ecosystem.
It’s no secret the manufacturing industry is undergoing a digital evolution and additive manufacturing (3D printing) is playing a pivotal role in this transition to more flexible, data-driven production processes.
Obviously, additive manufacturing itself is not the sole driver of digital transformation, it is an essential part of a broader digital ecosystem that allows manufacturers to modernize their operations, optimize designs and streamline production workflows.
One key trend in this shift is the varying rates of additive manufacturing adoption across different regions. In the U.S., manufacturers tend to adopt new technologies like additive manufacturing at a faster pace due to their willingness to take risks. “Companies in the U.S. are more willing to take risks and adopt technologies that are new to them,” said Michael Wohlfart, Business Development Manager for EOS, an additive technologies company. “I see a lot more pragmatism there.”
In contrast, European manufacturers take a more cautious approach. “On the European side, we have to do a lot more convincing. It takes more iterations of business cases until companies finally buy in,” Wohlfart explained. While European companies are not slow to adopt, their process tends to be more deliberate, with a greater emphasis on validating the business case for any new technology before making significant investments.
Digital integration
At the heart of digital transformation is the integration of digital tools and technologies into the entire manufacturing process. Additive manufacturing fits into this transformation seamlessly because of its ability to generate digital data during production. Unlike traditional manufacturing, which often relies on physical drawings and paper-based processes, additive manufacturing produces a continuous stream of digital data that can be used throughout the lifecycle of a product.
Wohlfart mentions spare parts as an example—many companies still operate with outdated, non-digital drawings. “Since [additive] is a digital technology, anything you produce with our system automatically generates digital data, which makes it much easier to replicate those parts in the future,” Wohlfart said.
The challenge with spares is if a company needs to replace a part designed decades ago and they can’t find a supplier for it. The first step is digitizing the drawing for 3D printing. From there, you can build a comprehensive digital value chain because the additive manufacturing process generates a lot of digital data, such as quality assurance data.
“We can pull sensor data from the machine, like the oxygen content during part production, or even more detailed information like turbine speed from the filter system,” he says. “All this data feeds into the manufacturing enterprise system and builds a digital twin of the part. If there’s post-processing involved, like CNC machining, you can still feed that data in—the core digital data comes from the 3D printing process itself.”
This shift to a more digitally integrated workflow allows for more efficient production, better data tracking and streamlined quality assurance, supporting the broader goals of digital transformation within manufacturing.
The evolving additive business case
While additive manufacturing has become a mainstream tool for many manufacturers, the business case for its adoption has evolved significantly over the years. Initially, the focus was on the technical feasibility of 3D printing. As the technology matured, it became clear that additive manufacturing offered a variety of business benefits, but these advantages had to be demonstrated through solid cost-benefit analyses and ROI estimations.
“In the beginning, most discussions were about technical feasibility. It was at the edge of the early adopter phase, where companies had a strategic interest in additive manufacturing but weren’t sure it was feasible,” he says. But today, the decision to use additive or traditional methods often comes down to a well-defined business case.
“In nearly every customer conversation, we make a cost estimation for the parts they intend to produce. If there’s already a conventional counterpart, companies compare it to that,” Wohlfart says. “Ideally, they take full advantage of additive, making parts that would be impossible to manufacture with conventional methods like CNC machining. But for most cases, the decision to use additive or conventional methods still comes down to the business case.”
A crucial element of this transformation is additive manufacturing’s ability to support future-proofing for manufacturers. By producing complex geometries and optimized designs, additive manufacturing enables companies to move beyond the limitations of traditional manufacturing methods like CNC machining and casting.
“I see this mainly on the design side. Certain applications can be optimized through simulations, especially parts that interact with fluids,” he says. “Heat exchangers, for example, are a good case. Simulations often create geometries that wouldn’t be feasible with traditional manufacturing, but additive is both cost-competitive and technically capable of producing those designs,” Wohlfart said, adding that in industries like aerospace and medical devices, this flexibility in design has become a major competitive advantage.
In aerospace, additive manufacturing allows the creation of lighter, more efficient parts that can reduce weight and improve performance. “The digital advancements allow you to design without being constrained by manufacturing limitations. You can take the optimal result from simulations, which are based on physical principles, and manufacture it,” Wohlfart says.
Additive for metal
As for metal additive manufacturing, in comparison to casting and CNC, the segment is relatively new. But the machines as they are today really started evolving around 2006-2007, and the big uptick in adoption came around 2015-2016, again mainly in industries such as aerospace, medical and automotive, where high-performance systems and materials are essential.
“The resolution has improved, but that’s not the most important factor driving adoption. The real advancements are in the productivity of the systems. We moved from single-laser printers to multi-laser printers, which reduces the cost per part and decreases print time. Another key driver is the adoption of new materials. Over time, we’ve developed more materials that are suitable for 3D printing,” Wohlfart said.
The trend is high-strength aluminum alloys, which are particularly relevant for the aerospace industry. In gas turbines, there are more advanced nickel-based alloys. “The challenge with these alloys is that they’re difficult to weld, but we’ve found ways around that. Now we can process materials that were not possible five years ago,” he says.
Despite these technological advancements, Wohlfart emphasized that metal additive manufacturing still faces challenges. For instance, while it is more flexible in terms of design, additive is more commonly used in prototyping or low-volume production rather than mass production.
Digital strengths
One of the reasons additive manufacturing fits so well within the broader push toward digital transformation is its ability to integrate seamlessly with digital tools like simulation, data collection, analytics and enterprise systems. “The technology itself allows you to build a digital twin and create a complete digital value chain. With additive, it’s easier to do this compared to more conventional manufacturing methods, like casting or forging, which don’t have any digital components.” Wohlfart said. This connection between digital design, digital production and data integration is at the core of Industry 4.0, where everything from machinery to raw materials is tracked, analyzed and optimized through data-driven insights.
This broader digital ecosystem makes it easier for manufacturers to adopt other advanced technologies, such as automation and artificial intelligence and to move toward more integrated, flexible and responsive production systems.
Importantly, additive manufacturing isn’t limited to industries like aerospace and medical devices. While these sectors have been early adopters, companies in fields like tooling and defense are also discovering the advantages of additive manufacturing. “We have a wide customer base in tooling, like die casting and injection molding. It’s also very relevant in the defense industry,” he says.
Additive technology allows for faster time to market. You don’t have to wait months for a foundry or overseas supplier. For smaller machine shops, additive complements their portfolio. It’s not meant to replace CNC, but it gives them more capabilities. Some have even turned into major additive manufacturing service providers.
As more manufacturers look to incorporate additive manufacturing into their operations, it is clear that the technology is part of a broader digital transformation. Additive manufacturing fits this niche by providing manufacturers with the tools to create highly optimized designs, improve production efficiency and integrate digital workflows.
