MakerBot, a Stratasys company, has released the findings of its State of 3D Printing report 2022. This report surveyed nearly 1200 professionals from across the globe on how they use and invest in 3D printing technology. The report concludes that new investments in 3D printing will continue to grow in 2022 as well.
Investments in 3D Printing to continue
According to the report, last year in 2021, 77% of respondents invested in 3D Printing technology and 69% professionals to invest this year.
The report shows growing optimism in 3D printing as last year’s report indicated that 74% respondents would be investing in 3D printing in 2021 while the number actually increased to 77% in reality. Same optimism can be expected this year as well.
Furthermore, according to this year’s study, 84% of respondents who invested last year plan to purchase more equipment, materials, and accessories in 2022 to address new applications, whether that’s prototyping, tooling, or even expanding to mass production—something new for respondents.
“In the midst of tremendous disruption around the world, professionals in design, engineering and manufacturing see 3D printing as the way forward. The results from our report show an eagerness to increase both use and spend as 3D printing demonstrates its ability to accelerate product development and transform businesses.”
– Nadav Goshen, CEO of MakerBot
Insights from MakerBot Report 2022
- Among the benefits experienced by respondents, in addition to improved design and prototyping processes, respondents cite improved R&D projects (57%) and reduced reliance on external suppliers (35% ).
- For the first time, some respondents are tying investments to the ability to produce on a large scale (8% ).
- 3D printing is expanding beyond functional prototypes and concept modelling. Its primary application among healthcare respondents (78%) is research and development, while R&D is one of the top three applications for respondents in consumer products.
- Respondents want to see continued technological advancements. Better print quality (83%), faster printing speeds (65%), and larger build volumes (52%) were among the top features identified as needing improvement.
- Respondents also want to see the 3D printing industry evolve in the next 3-5 years to meet the changing demands of its users, with many wanting to see 3D printing play a bigger role in the supply chain (44 %) and be used to localise manufacturing (32% ). Better industry practices, according to 33% of respondents, would also help reduce 3D printing waste.
- The sustainability of 3D printing is gaining popularity. For example, 22% of respondents use 3D printing to reduce manufacturing waste, and 38% expect improvements in sustainability and recyclability efforts over the next 3-5 years.
Full report can be downloaded from the MakerBot official website.
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