Christy Publications Microscale 3D Printing Market | Page 3

Cambridge; and National University, Singapore. It is estimated that microscale 3-D printing
market will garner high adoption, however, will require at least over a decade to become
mainstream. According to Coherent Market Insights Analysis, technology adoption should be at
least 20% in order to become mainstream.
Slow speeds in relation to the conventional methods of manufacturing and high initial capital
are expected to hamper the overall industry growth
For instance, conventional injection molding can be used to produce thousands of objects within
an hour. However, the additive manufacturing technology utilizes layer by layer integration of
materials, which limits its application for mass production. Additionally, the initial cost of the
technology for high precision applications, lack of skilled workforce, and additional expenses on
training and expertise will hinder the adoption rate of the technology.
Participants are increasingly making efforts to reduce manufacturing time and increase its
application. For instance, Autodesk, a software company has integrated artificial intelligence to
create complex design possibilities based on exact weight and strength, most of which can only
be created using additive manufacturing.
The U.S., followed by Europe, is expected to be a major region that will witness high adoption
rate of the technology, primarily owing to the significant efforts and high inclination of the
industry participants toward it. Moreover, advanced manufacturing facilities that include
automotive, aerospace, and other industrial applications that are expected to witness significant
adoption rate are also present in these regions.
Some of the key players in the microscale 3-D printing market include Desktop Metal, Formlabs,
HP, 3D Hubs, WASP, GE Additive, Aleph Objects (Lulzbot), Apis Cor, 3D-Fuel (3DomFuel), Doob
Group, E3D, Nano Dimension, Open Bionics, Zortrax, Nanoscribe GmbH, Monoprice, Stratasys,
3D Systems, Divergent3D, and Optomec. Innovation and advanced product development are
expected to be the prominent strategic plans of the players to gain strong foothold in the
industry. For instance, in 2016, Nanoscribe GmbH introduced its advanced Photonic Professional
GT that is featured with ultra-high resolution three dimensional printing capability.