FOCUS ON ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
market with the highest market share of 57 % in 2023 . By vertical , the automotive segment recorded the greatest market share of 22 % in 2023 . By material , the metal segment dominated the market in 2023 and the segment is expected to sustain its position throughout the forecast period .
“ The U . S . additive manufacturing market size accounted for US $ 4.56 billion in 2023 and is estimated to reach around US $ 29.49 billion by 2033 , growing at a CAGR of 20.51 % from 2024 to 2033 ,” it concluded .
Focus on benefits
Businesses looking to increase their manufacturing sustainability can claim an advantage owing to additive manufacturing ’ s favourable environmental effects .
“ Compared to conventional production , additive manufacturing offers several advantageous environmental advantages . The two most notable ones are energy and waste minimisation . Comparatively , additive manufacturing technologies are more effective and dramatically lessen the environmental impact of waste products than traditional manufacturing procedures . As additive manufacturing only uses what is necessary to make a product , it offers higher material efficiency ,” continued Precedence Research .
One of the main benefits of additive manufacturing is increased speed , enabling a more productive process and generating a paradigm shift for the development of tooling and components .
“ Automotive parts can be designed and made in a matter of days rather than the typical turnaround time of weeks . By including additive manufacturing equipment outside the design studio and on the factory floor , automakers can create multiple assemblies from one machine to save time and reduce the amount of component inventory on the shelf ,” commented manufacturer , BASF .
Laser sintered part .
New design possibilities
Additive manufacturing also offers a new level of design freedom and the potential for weight reduction in sectors such as automotive .
“ With these AM processes , manufacturers in the automotive industry can construct body parts differently [ than what is possible ] with traditional sheet metal parts . If you look at a tailored blank , many sheet metal parts and support parts need to be formed and joined together to achieve a certain stiffness . By using structural components printed with AM , on the other hand , you would need fewer
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Porsche piston blanks after 3D printing process .
process steps and less material , leading to cost optimisation and weight reduction ,” explained Christopher Schaak , Technology Manager for Binder Jetting , GKN Additive , in 2021 when the company launched two newly developed metal powder materials .
Besides optimising existing designs , both Binder Jetting and Laser Powder Bed Fusion with the new material can also be used to develop completely new designs ( Design for Additive Manufacturing e . g . bionic structures , which is where additive manufacturing truly comes to the fore .
The time it takes for a new product to enter functional validation can also be significantly shortened through AM processes .
“ Our customers want to know what the new AM material can achieve in their respective use cases ,” added GKN Additive , “ and how it can be used . It ’ s faster to print parts with AM than to retool complete traditional production lines and manufacture the parts the conventional way . This means that AM is a good solution to
22 | ismr . net | ISMR July / August 2024