There is great potential for 3D printing to disrupt the $12 trillion manufacturing market. Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing (for private use systems) creates 3D objects layer by layer from a 3D design file (typically in STL, stereolithography format) with a 3D printer and has only penetrated 18% of its $40 billion available AM market.
For many contract electronics solutions providers in industry seeking for ways to remain relevant, additive manufacturing is becoming increasingly more important for attracting and retaining customers as products becomes more complex, lead times become increasingly shorter, and EMS/ODM industry absorbs more of the OEM supply chain while customers demand more customization.
Below, pros and cons in the current 3D printing/additive manufacturing market today as prepared by John Roy with investment bank UBS.
Pros
Mass customization: No re-tooling required to make different products
Lower wastage: Additive manufacturing uses less raw material than the subtractive method, which wastes up to 95%
Design freedom: Hardly any limitations in the design process and hence no need for design for production
Time to market (prototyping): No need for complex tooling to produce prototypes, more design freedom and flexibility
Part consolidation: No need for complex joining and soldering of individual products
Tooling reduction: Reduction or potential elimination of tooling
Inventory and logistics: Just-in-time production and less product complexity reduces inventory and complex logistics
Packing efficiencies: Different products can be printed in same batch
Weight savings: Additive manufacturing allows for different geometries
In your search results, you will be able to further target provider options such as 3D printing and additive manufacturing by adding keywords, choosing your product End Markets, then expanding your search.
Cons
Lack of economies of scale: Cost for printing first article remains similar to cost for printing of the n-th item
Raw material cost and availability: Individual raw materials still limited and expensive; lack of combinability of different raw materials with different melting points
Equipment cost and availability: High equipment prices, limited size of 3D products (up to 30 cm edge length), printing equipment production capacity and service
Low speed (production): Ultra-thin layers (0.001” to 0.010”) and up to 1,000 layers needed for a single inch; a single inch might take up to 3 hours to print
IP and warranty issues: Plagiarism is potentially easier, with files sent around for printing; product warranty issues severed by interim design changes
Availability of 3D software: Lack of software to translate developer ideas into 3D printer parameters; easier-to-use software and web-based software needed
Product finishing: Product finishing for 3D printed products is often not ready to market and needs to be fine-tuned using other techniques
Design rules, certification process: Common industry standards are still scarce and processes need to be certified
Process reliability and integration: Today’s CNC machines tend to be fully integrated into production processes while AM is still mostly stand- alone machines
Source: Wohlers Report 2013, GE, UBS
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