3D printing is making news in India. Right from manufacturing to healthcare, 3D printing is being adopted across different industries in India. The country’s 3D printing industry is largely dominated by startups who offer a variety of 3D printing services that range from manufacturing of 3D printers, to manufacturing materials used in 3D printing. Read on to gain an overview of 3D printing in India.
3D Printing in India
3D printing in India is poised to grow rapidly in the coming years. According to a 2015 research conducted by 6W, the Indian industry was predicted to reach $79 million by 2022, but as the situation stands, India has already crossed this prediction. According to a country-wide research conducted by Manufactur3D, the Indian 3D printing industry is valued at around $100 million. Though it is quite small compared to many countries, it also highlights the potential for the industry to grow. India is a key player in the global industry and with many new initiatives within and outside the industry, the Indian industry is posed to grow rapidly within the current decade.
The government of India has realised the potential of 3D printing and thus it launched the National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing in February 2022. The national strategy has set bold targets for the industry including contributing 5% to the global AM market with a target to add nearly US$1 Bn to the national GDP by 2025. Do read our summarised article on the National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing. Today, India is considered a key player in terms of large scale adoption of additive manufacturing in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. The additive manufacturing industry in the APAC region is estimated to reach $5.56 billion by 2025.
Also Read: 3D Printer Price in India
Major Players of 3D Printing in India
India is an attractive hub for foreign investments in the 3D printing technology. Most of the world’s largest 3D printing companies are already operating in India. The scenario has actually changed over the course of the last two years. In these couple of years, the trend has been shifting towards expanding global presence through international partnerships and collaborations. This pattern was also seen in the Indian 3D printing market. India saw many as 40 new international partnerships, increasing the presence of global brands in India from around 30 to 70-plus international brands today, with a few more in the works.
Some of the top brands operating in India include 3D Systems, Stratasys, SLM Solutions, Materialise, Velo3D, Voxeljet, Markforged, and more.
India currently has over 1000-1200 operational homegrown 3D printing companies established in all parts of the country and offering a wide range of products and services. Bengaluru is the de facto 3D printing capital of India and south of India the most popular region with as many as 5 popular and emerging 3D printing clusters including Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, and Vishakhapatnam. Other top cities in India include Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Navi Mumbai, Gurgaon, etc.
As far as the domestic players are concerned, the industry leaders include Intech Additive Solutions, Imaginarium, Incredible AM, Anatomiz3D, Shree Rapid Technologies, Monotech Systems Ltd., Objectify Technologies, Divide By Zero Technologies, and many more.
Due to various reasons including government initiatives, partnerships, new product development, international funding and more 3D printing in India is experiencing a rapid growth. Read our article on construction 3D printing in India or an entire highlights of the Indian 3D printing industry to know more about industry.
Road Ahead for 3D Printing in India
The growth of 3D printing also depends on the state of the manufacturing sector in a country. The healthier the manufacturing sector, the better the adoption of the technology. This is mainly due to the huge capital investment needed for industrial 3D printers. The manufacturing sector in India is also seeing a revival as the pandemic seems to abate. According to a 2016-17 report it was worth $311.6 billion and has the potential to to reach a whopping $1 trillion by 2025.
In addition to gaining an increased share of the manufacturing sector, the growth of 3D printing in India will also depend on how other industries of the country embrace 3D printing technology in the coming years. For example, to reap the full benefits of the additive manufacturing technology, the other sectors on India will have to increase their readiness for the adoption of the technology. Currently, the levels of readiness towards approaching new technology is low. For example, in its 2018 assessment for the readiness for the future of product (FOP), the World Economic Forum (WEF) included India in the list of “legacy countries”. Legacy countries are those countries that have a strong structure of production but display a low level of readiness for future production.
Hence, to increase the use of additive manufacturing in the country, companies across various sectors of the country need to take a more proactive role and invest heavily in emerging technologies such as additive manufacturing. For example, the same report revealed that India ranked 28th in the list of company investments in emerging technologies which included additive manufacturing apart from other emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Ubiquitous linked sensors, Virtual and Augmented Realities, Blockchain and distributed ledger technology, Advanced materials and Nanomaterials, Biotechnologies and others.
Despite the advantages that the 3D printing technology offers to companies, company investment in 3D printing technology in the country is low when compared with other countries such as China. For example, India is behind its neighbour China (which ranked 25th in the list of company investments in emerging technologies) when it comes to company investments in emerging technologies. Thus, to increase the use of 3D printing in the country, companies across different sectors need to invest heavily in the technology and reap the advantages that the 3D printing technology offers.
It is worth noting that a variety of efforts to increase the adoption of 3D printing technology in the country are being undertaken. For example, the WEF has identified India as a strategic partner and is planning to open a center for Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) with Reliance Industries in Mumbai. Apart from this, the Indian government’s “Make in India’ campaign is also said to give a boost to the country’s 3D printing industry in the coming years. However, what the country is lacking is a specific action plan directed towards and supporting the 3D printing sector.
Last year, the Chinese government announced an action plan to research and develop the use of 3D printing technology in ship building, aviation, vehicle manufacturing, medical, cultural and educational fields. It is time that India too develops an Action Plan specifically directed towards supporting the 3D printing sector so as to explore potential and the numerous advantages that this technology offers to companies in particular and the manufacturing sector in general.
About Manufactur3D: Manufactur3D is an online magazine on 3D Printing. Visit our Indian Scenario page for more updates on 3D Printing News from India. To stay up-to-date about the latest happenings in the 3D printing world, like us on Facebook or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.