For almost two decades, 3D printers were perceived as exotic toys and not as serious competitors to existing production methods. This perception is changing, and is seen in the growth of the annual 3D Printing conference and event in Frankfurt, with over 850 exhibitors: Formnext.

Today we talk about Additive Manufacturing (AM), and there are numerous examples of commercial and viable products, only made possible through AM. Here are some examples.

Align Technology produce individual, transparent, 3D-printed braces that gradually correct your teeth. You get a new brace every 2-3 weeks. So far, more than seven million smiles have been corrected this way. Today, the company has a market cap of over $20 billion!

3Shape is a Danish dental company creating 3D scanners and a production system for 3D printing of single crowns and prosthesis. Today they employ 1.500 people. 

Hearing Aids, a strong industry in Denmark, is also taking advantage of AM to introduce mass customization.

Everything from glasses (Monoqool) to footwear (Aertex) to bike helmets (Hexr) and luminaires (Philips) are entering the market with unique 3D-printed products.

Large industries like aerospace, automotive and construction with global players like BMW, Boeing and Siemens (and in Denmark, Grundfos and Danfoss) are investing heavily in this area. Affordable, high-temperature printers mean that in many cases, this technology now makes sense as a viable business opportunity.

Business and sustainability advantages are many. You can mass customize your products or work with small-scale series which makes a lot of sense in several industries. You can print your spare parts or inventory on-demand or on location, thus reducing customer response time and shipping costs. And, with new materials and new design techniques, you can simplify constructions and print elements that would otherwise be impossible to produce. On top of that AM bears the promise to be one of the first truly circular technologies by reusability of print material.

The development has led to the formation of AM Hub in Denmark – a national focal point for Additive Manufacturing, focusing on how to expand the use of AM to small and medium sized companies (SME´s) as well.

AM is gaining in popularity, and I predict that 2020 will see a further increase in awareness and acceptance. Additive Manufacturing will jump from being a rogue technology with a niche position to a widely accepted and broadly used commercial production technique.