The Gartner 2017 report on 3D Printing

3D printing has been one of the most exciting new technologies for several years now, with its accessibility and popularity growing each day and with new technologies and processes being created constantly. However, do we really know what to expect from this technology?

Every year, since 2005, the Gartner Research Center in the United States has published an annual report of their expectations and trends for emerging technologies. Since then, they have published many reports dedicated to 3D printing, with their latest report lending a hand to much of the hype and excitement of different technological advances currently seen in this sector. In order to formulate their findings, they based their research on the maturity, ease of adaptability, and commercial application of 3D printing, in order to give us a glimpse into the future of 3D printing.

Gartner 2017

In the graph above, Gartner has divided the industries into 5 main stages: Innovation Trigger, Peak of Inflated Expectations, Trough of Disillusionment, Slope of Enlightenment, and the Plateau of Productivity. According to their report, the current trends that are on the rise are positioned under Innovation Trigger, Some highlights of this portion include 3D printed drugs, bioprinted organ transplants, 3D printed wearables, and 4D printing.