What were the 3D printing trends of 2020?

What were the 3D printing trends of 2020? How is the additive manufacturing industry changing? Today, we look back on the 3D printing trends that shaped the industry during 2020. Despite COVID-19, the industry developed healthily and some exciting developments happened. We identified 5 key trends which we present to you below.

The COVID-19 pandemic shakes the 3D printing industry

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had repercussions on nearly all sectors of activity. One of the most vulnerable sectors during the first few months of the pandemic was the medical sector, which suddenly found itself short of equipment to face the consequences of the virus spread. Additive manufacturing technologies were quickly employed to manufacture emergency equipment for medical staff and patients from all over the world. In a matter of days, actors from the 3D printing industry managed to produce critical devices for the healthcare sector such as face shields or ventilators, and later, COVID-19 test swabs. Hospitals implemented solutions in-house to support this production, universities also landed their equipment, and manufacturers quickly became service providers to the healthcare sector.

At the end of the day, 3D printing was able to act much more quickly than other manufacturing technologies, adding agility to the production process. It didn’t rely on complex supply chains that couldn’t operate because production and supplies were blocked in China and Southeast Asia. We spoke to Sumeet Jain, Managing Director of 3D Printing Solutions by Arkema when discussing the impact of the pandemic on the AM sector; he told us: “The COVID crisis was an opportunity for 3D printing to demonstrate its value proposition around digital manufacturing and its ability to meet on-demand production needs. Additionally, 3D printing’s ability to iterate hundreds of designs in the short term is a key differentiation to develop viable solutions that can meet unforeseen demand.”