When additive manufacturing entered the world of manufacturing, the primary purpose of it was to create rapid and economically viable prototype. It was a revolutionary concept that speeded up design and new product introduction processes. The next step is making actual mass production parts in the same way. As the technology advances, many companies can manufacture good quality parts with acceptable cost. Most importantly, these processes are fully scalable, which allows manufacturers to adapt to their current production demand.
Key Takeaways:
- 3D Printing is probably going to boom because the additive industry is looking for clean and open standards where technology is always advancing.
- There is also a great demand for open materials and that means that manufacturers will have to embrace 3D printing to keep up.
- It has been predicted that 10 years from now nearly every single factory will have a 3D printing machine at their facility.
“Unfortunately, unlike the semiconductor industry, the 3D printing industry has been dominated by closed ecosystems. Customers are locked into their vendor’s proprietary version of the technology for the 3D printer’s life.”
