As 2022 comes to an end, it’s time once again to reflect upon the state of the 3D printing market this year. This is the perfect time to review the dominant trends in additive manufacturing. It was clear that the AM industry is making the same progress as previous years. It has been able to continue its recovery from the pandemic and industrialize, focusing in particular on large-format 3D printing as well as larger-scale operations. In the field, there is a continued focus on sustainability by actors.
There is no secret that sustainability and 3D printing have a strong connection. Because AM can reduce waste, it is often praised as being more eco-friendly. Although it’s not perfect, plastic use is a matter of controversy. However, there has been an increase in the attention to developing new technologies and encouraging environmental responsibility for 3D printing. The Additive Manufacturing Green Trade Association, (AMGTA), continues to expand and includes many of the most prominent leaders in additive production. 50 companies are currently members of the association, an increase of a lot from 2021.
Sherri Monroe is the Executive Director of the AMGTA, an association which has grown rapidly as interest in 3D printing’s role in more sustainable manufacturing is explored (photo credits: 3Dnatives)
We also noticed a lot of new trends in the sector. These trends are important, but what is the definition of these trends? How has the world changed over the years? What do you see for AM in the future? We took a moment to review the key lessons learned from the 3D printing industry in 2022, and closed the year.
The Center Stage of 3D Printing in 2022 is Consolidation
A report that claimed that 3D printing was unlikely to consolidate soon was presented at the beginning of this year. But, this was quickly proved wrong. Despite the industry’s growth in 2022 we saw signs of consolidation in the 3D printing market through mergers and acquisitions, as well as partnerships.
Ultimaker’s merger with Makerbot back in May 2022 was one of the biggest consolidation shocks. If you have been around 3D printing long enough, you may recall that MakerBot was the first desktop 3D printer company to emerge from RepRap. It was actually purchased first by Stratasys back in 2013. Ultimaker, a well-known 3D printer manufacturer, is known for its desktop solutions, but also its Cura software. This is a well-respected slicer among 3D printing enthusiasts.
Juergen von Hollen and Nadav Goshen shake hands at the close of the merger (photo credit: Ultimaker).
In September, the merger was completed. UltiMaker launched a new brand. Both companies stressed that the merger was crucial to them. “fueling global 3D printing innovation”, namely by combining their current strengths and solutions as well as investing in new R&D for more products. In a press release NadavGoshen, former CEO of Makerbot, stated that he is now the CEO of the combined company. “As we begin the next chapter together as UltiMaker, we will continue to focus on developing 3D printing innovations to advance the availability of accessible and easy-to-use 3D printing solutions. By combining our teams and technical expertise, we can work towards developing and delivering a comprehensive portfolio of products to support professional, educational and light-industrial applications.”
This is just one example. 3D Systems announced in February that, after having sold various parts of the company, in 2021 it would be purchasing Titan Robotics. This will allow the company to return to the FDM marketplace after a long absence. The company also attempted to purchase dp polar GmbH in August. This German manufacturer and designer of an AM system has been designed for high-speed mass production.
Similarly in August, Stratasys, one of the leading and first 3D printing manufacturers, announced its acquisition of Covestro’s 3D printing material business. Carbon also acquired ParaMatters, a software firm known for its generative design capabilities. You may have noticed a trend in many of these mergers and acquisitions over the years. We saw that AM companies seem to be looking to create complete additive manufacturing solutions by targeting companies with different strengths, such as software or materials.
Markforged, through the acquisition of Digital Metal will be able to enter the market for metal binder jetting (photo credit: Digital Metal).
It can also be seen. As more companies seek to expand their reach, they are able to access other AM technologies. Markforged is one such company, and it is looking to enter the metal binder jetting industry with the acquisition of Digital Metal. Markforged, best known for its 3D metal printing processes and carbon-fiber, is growing quickly. Its recent move into metal binding jetting demonstrates its determination to continue growing and also places it as a direct competitor in the American market to the powerhouse Desktop Metal.
It’s not just AM companies who are making moves to acquire and merge. Large tech companies, which were not as active in the sector, have acquired 3D printing businesses this year. Nikon, the world-famous camera manufacturer, made an announcement in September that it would be purchasing SLM solutions from SLM Solutions through a public takeover offer. Nikon had officially purchased 92.38% SLM as of the end of the acceptance period. SyBridge also acquired the troubled Fast Radius, which was publicly traded in this year, but saw its performance drop quickly. Under the US bankruptcy code, technologies are sold for $15.9 million.
Consolidation doesn’t just mean acquisitions. These were evidently abundant in 2022. Part of this trend is the increased role of partnerships within additive manufacturing. Notably between software, post-processing and 3D printer manufacturers as a way to provide customers with a “one stop shop” for their 3D printing needs, helping in the continued industrialization of AM.
It is easy to see the importance of software when you look at the number of acquisitions of partnerships in AM sector over 2022 (photo credits 3Dnatives).
Discussing for example the cooperation between AMT and HP, wherein automation and software partnerships are keys to developing a fully comprehensive solution for customers, Wayne Davey, Global Head of Sales and Go To Market for HP’s Personalization and 3D printing business, commented, “We are excited to take our partnership to the next level with AMT given their shared vision, shared customer, and proven portfolio of post processing post processing technology. At HP we believe leveraging partnerships that bring unique expertise to the end-to-end Multi Jet Fusion workflow are key to accelerating the scale of additive manufacturing to production.”
DyeMansion, a well-known provider of post-processing solutions and Nexa3D, have also entered into a partnership. Kevin McAlea is the Chief Operating Officer of Nexa3D. “It’s only natural that we would partner with DyeMansion, a leading provider of automated post-processing solutions for powder bed fusion, to ensure that our industrial customers can leverage high-throughput manufacturing capabilities from end-to-end as well as reduce their total cost of operation.” It seems that 3D printing industry professionals are realizing that we are stronger when we work together and that consolidation is becoming a more common reality.
Despite growing, there is disruption to the market
However, disruption can often be seen where there is growth and consolidation. Disruption was a major trend in the market since the beginning of 2022 for many reasons. The war in Ukraine was one of the first. After months of Russian government aggression, the Russian invasion officially began on February 24th 2022. The Russian Invasion was the culmination of years-old tensions between the nations, since the 2014 annexation Crimea.
This may not seem like 3D printing, but the whole additive manufacturing community reacted to this news. Many prominent figures in the industry took action to condemn the invasion within minutes. EOS and other 3D printing companies decided to end business with Russian clients while others raised funds.
We have heard of this crisis. Although support was most evident at the beginning and throughout the year. We should mention the silent auctions that were held by the Together We Are Strong initiative, which was started by companies like Nexa3D and EOS. These were held at major 3D printing events such as Rapid + TCT 2022 or Formnext.
Poland-based Sygnis, whose 3D printing facility is pictured here, used 3D printing for war efforts (photo credit: Sygnis).
The 3D printing industry supported the Ukrainian people in many other ways. 3D printing was made possible by users from all over the world and companies. One example is the creation open-source tourniquet file that can be used for civilians who have been injured. Oxford Performance Materials and Unlimited Tomorrow are also looking to send 3D-printed prosthetics to the war-torn countries. Ukrainian organizations dedicated to additive manufacturing for their country rose up, including 3D printing for Ukraine. The disruption occurred outside the AM community, which rose to meet it. However, this was not always the truth.
Supply chain disruptions, for example, were also a concern in 2022. While 3D printing can be a viable solution, it was best demonstrated during the COVID crisis. Plastic and microchip shortages around the globe affected nearly every industry. The Ukrainian War itself made this even worse, as trade routes were changed almost immediately and critical materials were not able get there.
Last, but not least: although we have seen substantial growth in AM over the past few decades or so, not every sign has been so positive. One of the most concerning signs has been the occurrence of many layoffs throughout the year. Although this may be partially due to market consolidation, it is clearly indicative of a continuing trend in the tech sector as a result the current global economic recession. Many of the industry’s largest companies were affected. Desktop Metal and Nexa3D, Xerox, Carbon, and Carbon all announced significant reductions in their workforces, with DM alone reducing global workforce by 12%.
Discussing the reduction, which was named a cost optimization measure, Ric Fulop, CEO of Desktop Metal, noted, “We have focused our efforts on optimizing our expense structure and maintaining growth opportunities, as outlined in previous financial results calls. We believe this initiative, which builds on steps we began to take in the second half of 2021 to integrate our teams, positions Desktop Metal to meet our near- and long-term financial commitments and supports our path to profitability.” It is clear that profit margins may not have been as desirable as expected for many people in the industry.
Automation and software will gain in importance for 3D printing by 2022
No surprise, automation is included on the list of 3D printing trends for 2022. Automation is increasingly necessary as 3D printing industrializes. This allows for large-scale printing across many industries. This year, we witnessed a variety of technologies and software emerge to address this need.
It was already discussed when we talked about consolidation. However, one indicator of its increased importance was the partnerships between 3D printer solution providers and software providers. It was evident in post-processing. Although it is less well-known than other steps in additive manufacturing, post-processing (or the treatment of a piece after printing) is crucial for high-quality parts. However the step remains time-consuming and difficult, as also shown in PostProcess’s latest report on trends in post-processing. The industry is moving in the right direction with recent partnerships between AMT & HP as well as DyeMansion & Nexa3D. Automation could be a solution.
Automation in AM isn’t just a focus on post-processing. As monitoring becomes a critical requirement for the creation and maintenance of end-use parts, software is becoming more important in this field. Many have invested more in creating their own software solutions that allow for an end-to-end AM workflow, or partnering with software providers to increase automation.
Markforged is a company that has been developing The Digital Forge Platform. This platform, which was designed to help them solve their problems, must be mentioned again. This year Markforged enabled the integration of simulation software in The Digital Forge. Shai Terem, president and CEO of Markforged especially understands the need for the further integration into 3D printing operations, stating: “Our customers can adopt The Digital Forge more deeply into their manufacturing operations through simulation. Simulation replaces mission-critical tooling with 3D printed composite parts with Continuous Fibre Reinforcement. Cloud-based software innovation like Simulation is core to our mission to bring industrial part production to the point of need.” This highlights the importance of automation software and software in scaling production.
AI has continued to consolidate its position in 3D printing overall, particularly when it comes to automating. To improve monitoring and machine learning, more companies are using AI-based or machine learning software. It is also used by researchers to increase productivity in AM.
A recent collaboration between Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems and Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine is a notable example. To create custom finger implants, these institutions used 3D printing and AI. This project, while it is still in its infancy, shows the incredible possibilities 3D printing can offer when combined with AI, software, and automation.
Binder Jetting is on the Rise
We would be remiss to not mention binder jetting, a 3D printing technique that has been mentioned time and again in 2022. Binder jetting, while not the most talked about 3D printing technology, seemed to be gaining momentum this year. It has been recognized by new materials and actors in the field as one of our top 3D printing trends for 2022.
Digital Metal – Photo Credits
Binder jetting will be possible in 2022 if material development is done properly. Desktop Metal can be cited for its wide range of materials. Though of course the company continued to invest heavily in both metal and sand, two of the most common binder jetting materials, with the launch of ExOne’s S-Max Flex Sand 3D printer especially, it also branched out. The company has also invested in non-traditional materials such as wood binder jelly, rubber, and foam. This has allowed the company to expand into new industries and applications. Binder jetting is still a key component of end-use parts, cores, and molds.
The binder jetting market was next. This market seemed to be the most dynamic this year. The binder market saw a significant decline after the acquisition of ExOne last year by Desktop Metal. This was because two of its biggest competitors joined forces. We have mentioned before that there are new players. Markforged is one of them.
The American manufacturer’s acquisition of Digital Metal has placed it firmly in the metal binder jetting market as well as positioned it as a direct competitor to DM in a number of fields. This isn’t all. This year also marks the official launch of HP’s long-awaited metal 3D printing solution. HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), process is still used for its polymer solutions. However, the new metal 3D printing solution uses metal binder jetting. The Metal Jet S100 machine first was shown at IMTS 2022 and then at Formnext.
Markforged and HP both decided to investigate metal binder jetting because of the possibility of mass production of metal parts. Ramon Pastor, global head and general manager of 3D Metals, HP Inc explained it thusly: “Since announcing the breakthrough Metal Jet technology in 2018, we have been working to develop the industry’s most advanced commercial solution for 3D metals mass production. 3D printed metal parts are a key driving force behind digital transformation and the new Metal Jet S100 Solution provides a world class metals offering for our customers, from the first designs right through to production, but more importantly helps them to realize the unlimited potential for digital manufacturing.”
That’s it. Although we have witnessed many trends within additive manufacturing, there were some new notable ones this year. Between increasing consolidation, disruption in the sector, automation’s increasing role and of course the advancements in binder jetting, 2022 was certainly not a dull one. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for 3D printing in 2023.
What do YOU think about the 3D printing trends for 2022? Do you have any other ideas? What do you expect from additive manufacturing in 2023, according to your expectations? Let us know in a comment below or on our Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.
*Cover Photo Credits: 3Dnatives