Engineers’ Thoughts on the Impact of 3D Printing in Traditional Manufacturing

SMS Research Advisors discuss results of additive manufacturing survey.

Austin, Texas — At the conclusion of the recent opening of their facility to the media, Joe Allison, CEO of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing introduced SMS Research Advisors. SMS prepared the results of an independent survey conducted with a cross section of engineers about the future of industrial additive manufacturing.  

“We set out to uncover the common themes among companies who are on the spectrum of larger-scale adoption and integration of 3D printing into their manufacturing process,” Allison said. “We’re sharing our findings to help advance adoption and help manufacturers’ maximize the business benefits.  

“We’ve already changed the way that prototypes are made, but now we are changing the way manufacturing is done. We needed to look beyond our factory walls to get a more complete sense of where 3D printing is headed, so we turned to those who live and breathe the technology just like we do – professional users.”  

The report set out to answer the following questions:  

  1. How will companies use 3D printing over the next 3 years?  

  1. What do they see as the obstacles 3D printing adoption?  

  1. What is the business value?  

  1. How will product development evolve?  

  1. Who will invest in owning the technology?  

  1. What role will the service provider play?  

Research findings:  

The survey was sent out to 40,000 designers, engineers and executives. Of the 700 who completed the survey, 40 percent reported to work at companies that take in over $50 million in annual revenue.  

The number one benefit that the companies were surveyed for is the ability to fabricate objects with extreme design complexities. The number 1 inhibition to adopting industrial additive manufacturing (AM) are the equipment costs. 

Respondents were asked what they perceive as the top challenges their company faces in using AM now and in the future. The four most common responses are shown in this graph.

Respondents were asked what they perceive as the top challenges their company faces in using AM now and in the future. The four most common responses are shown in this graph.

Responses were broken down between those who already use industrial AM and those who are considering it.  

The primary concern of those participants who were already using industrial AM was how to leverage the technology to increase their design capabilities. Those who were considering AM, but hadn’t yet adopted it were 20 percent more likely to believe that a lack of understanding of the capabilities of AM is the primary reason their company stayed away from it all together.  

These companies wouldn’t even use a 3D printing service provider, highlighting a need for education about industrial AM and the value it can bring to a business.  

The most common obstacles to adoption of industrial AM are the prohibitive cost of equipment and the inability of industrial AM processes to yield objects with specific mechanical properties.  

The survey also showed that the consumer and energy industries are most likely to grow in terms of using 3D printing services and outsourcing industrial AM to others. The aerospace and medical industries are the most likely to grow in-house AM. No big surprises there. 

Respondents were asked whether they expect their company’s in-house AM production to increase, decrease or stay the same over the next three years. The same question was asked relative to their company’s outsourced AM production.

Respondents were asked whether they expect their company’s in-house AM production to increase, decrease or stay the same over the next three years. The same question was asked relative to their company’s outsourced AM production.

The Growing Trend of Additive Manufacturing 

End-use parts show the most potential for growth, especially in metals. Metal industrial AM intrigues companies the most, according to the survey. This feedback confirms a shift that people are paying attention to metal AM innovations.  

An interest in metal AM may indicate companies are beginning to realize its value, recognizing an industry shift to metal industrial AM from traditional metal manufacturing processes.  

Manufacturing companies recognize that there is less front-end engineering work as each single AM application comes into being.  

This emphasizes another important theme of the presentation: by perfecting one industrial AM application at a time and focusing on providing expertise to companies who are eyeing industrial AM, growth and interest in industrial AM as a whole will happen slowly and surely. 

Highlights quoted from the survey and report:  

  1. The majority of respondents – representing the aerospace, automotive, consumer and medical sectors – strongly believe more end-use parts will be designed specifically for additive manufacturing (AM) in the future.  

  1. Additive metal use is expected to nearly double over the next 3 years.  

  1. The majority of respondents said that regardless of their company’s in-house AM capabilities, they believe there will always be value in partnering with an AM service provider to augment internal capabilities.  

To download a free copy of the report, please visit pages.stratasysdirect.com/trend-forecast