Additive manufacturing firms await better times to roll out new products

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The 3D printing industry, like most of manufacturing, has been challenged mightily by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many AM companies report steep declines in revenue. Those able to keep pace or increase revenue usually credit their company’s ability to transition to producing masks and other PPE needed by health care workers.

Despite the inertia, 3D printing technology continues to evolve. Here are some areas of AM that researchers are focused on:

• Development of metal 3D printers capable of serial production.

• Automating all phases of AM, particularly postprocessing systems.

• Development of materials by design, wherein computations are used to deliver the exact material required for a specific application.

• Replacing metal parts with those 3D-printed from high-temperature thermoplastics.

• Embedding circuits, sensors, and other electronic devices into parts.

Many companies had planned to introduce new technologies during 2020 but decided to delay product rollouts until the pandemic subsides. How long they will have to wait is, of course, impossible to predict and another challenge to face during already challenging times.