What is the Future of Metal Additive Manufacturing?

Earlier this year, research firm IDTechEx published a report on metal additive manufacturing, estimating that its value would reach $18.5 billion within 10 years, showing a gradual recovery of the market. As part of this study, the firm conducted an analysis of the future of the metal additive manufacturing market by comparing the different processes that exist, seeking to understand the major trends in the sector but also possible future sources of revenue. Powder bed processes, concentrated energy deposition (CED), wire extrusion: which technology should you focus on? Where does the future of metal 3D printing lie?

Fourteen 3D printing processes were analyzed and compared in the IDTechEx study. Among them, there are of course the most well-known technologies such as Binder Jetting, DED, extrusion (whether with granules, paste or even filaments), laser powder bed fusion, but also less popular processes such as electrochemical deposition or cold spray. For each process, criteria such as print volume, accuracy, price of the machine and material, and necessary post-processing steps were compared, with the aim of evaluating strengths and weaknesses.

IDTechEx compared 14 metal 3D printing processes according to specific criteria (photo credits: IDTechEx)

Current Market Trends

As with many other technologies, price and build volume are two key factors to which users are particularly sensitive. Starting with the former, you probably know that metal powder is expensive, especially when it comes to uniform powder. This is a major barrier to entry for many companies, preventing them therefore from turning to powder processes, even though there are many on the market today. This is where we see a trend emerging: the development of extrusion technologies, more specifically the deposition of metal filaments – or rods – and granules. One example is manufacturers such as Meltio, who has developed a machine that combines two types of raw materials to lower the cost of a 3D printed part. More and more players specialized in FDM/FFF have also presented extruders capable of supporting metallic materials.