3D printing digital fabrication specialist Sculpteo has released the 8th edition of its report, The State of 3D Printing: 2022. Like the previous seven reports, this document is an annual international research report outlining the state of the additive manufacturing industry. Based on the contents of this report, manufacturers are able to spot new trends and improve their business strategies. This year, the report focuses specifically on sustainability. According to the report, most executives, engineers, or designers say that 3D printing technology reduces the environmental impact of the manufacturing process.
The report states that 41 percent of manufacturers believe that additive manufacturing will help their companies achieve their sustainability goals. 61 percent of manufacturers believe that this technology allows them to produce the right amount of material to meet demand, thus avoiding the need for large quantities of resources. In traditional subtractive techniques, more raw material is often required, which does not contribute to a sustainable process. 3D printing can solve this problem, helping manufacturers to conduct sustainable activities because they can obtain the exact amount of material needed to manufacture the product.
Additive manufacturing is also a promising design approach. 84 percent are optimistic about the future potential of the technology. 58 percent of manufacturers believe that it will play a significant role in manufacturing, business, and personal life.
3D printing can reduce a manufacturer's environmental impact, mainly because of its reliability. 61 percent of respondents cited on-demand manufacturing as a reliability and sustainability benefit of 3D printing. 59 percent of manufacturers want to benefit from more sustainable materials. This demand shows that products of biological origin are gaining popularity in the additive manufacturing market. In summary, the three areas where 3D printing needs improvement in terms of reliability and sustainability are:
Despite the many benefits 3D printing can bring to the industry, the technology still has some drawbacks, not least when it comes to cost. A third of the companies surveyed cited high budgets as the main constraint to adopting additive manufacturing, but this statistic is still only a minority. The majority of respondents believe that choosing more sustainable 3D printing technologies enables better management of materials. The study revealed that 63 percent of manufacturers are looking for ways to recycle 3D-printed parts. Resource management remains an area of improvement for the additive manufacturing industry.