3D Printing Trends For 2018

 In 3D Printing

Overall, 2017 was a pretty good year for the 3d printing industry, with companies, collaborations, and innovations. The 3d printing industry is such a dynamic industry, so it’s not always easy to predict what’s in store for 3rd printing. In this article, we’ll look at 3D Printing Trends For 2018.

Application-Driven Innovation

Current advancements in Additive Manufacturing have concentrated on developing much better, quicker, bigger even more competent machines and on furthering the assortment of new materials. And while it’s crucial to continue to innovate and improve our manufacturing features, the real transformative power of 3D Printing cannot be revealed simply by developing larger and much better machines. The fundamental key to unlocking the next industrial change will be our true knowledge of which applications benefit most from AM technological innovation.

To put it differently, ask not what this machine is capable of doing – however exactly what this machine can do for you. In the foreseeable future, we believe that machines and software will become increasingly more specialized and application-driven to meet very specific client and industry requirements. The potential is enormous. When the hearing aids industry figured out the transformative power of 3D Printing, the change was quick and irreversible. Within 500 days, over 90% of hearing aids in the US switched over to Additive Manufacturing . This means that, instead of waiting for 3D printing technology to develop, manufacturing companies should concentrate on the applications now. Simply because the technology is there, but it’s applications that will drive the real transformation.

Automation

As 3D printing technologies are thriving, the attention will switch towards streamlining pre- and post-production processes. While a sizable segment of 3D-printed production tools and prototypes are positioned for use practically right out of the machine, with very little finishing, there’s additionally a large number of end-parts that require sophisticated finishing processes. This is not only labor-intensive but also cost-intensive.

Integration

Within the last couple of years, we have seen 3D Printing claiming its place in supply chains. With quicker lead times and tooling-free production, 3D Printing has been shown to be a key technological innovation for those programs that are conventionally resource-intensive. This also results in leaner supply chains and fewer stock risks. We believe that 3D Printing will gradually increase its worth in manufacturing supply chains in two ways: by making it possible for the creation of digital supply chains, which hold the promise of changing entire business models, such as the hearing aid and eyewear industry; and by becoming more integrated into existing supply chains.

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