Supply-chain solutions provider Jabil has released a survey that shows manufacturers are more inclined to use 3D printing today than they were about a year ago and that the technology is being used more often in production applications.
The survey, “Current State of Additive Materials and 3D Printing,” asked 308 individuals responsible for 3D printing at manufacturing companies a series of questions pertaining to their current and anticipated use of additive manufacturing (AM). The responses, gathered at the beginning of 2019, were then compared to responses to the same questions asked in the fall of 2017.
“Over the course of a year, 3D printing utilization has skyrocketed,” says the report. “Our most recent research clearly demonstrates the upward trajectory of the popularity and application of additive manufacturing.”
Following are some of the key findings:
• The use of AM increased in all applications—parts production, R&D, repair, etc.—except for prototyping, which decreased.
• Thirty-nine percent of survey respondents expect their company’s use of 3D printing to increase dramatically over the next two to five years, and 47 percent expect it to increase somewhat.
• Fifty-nine percent report that 3D printing has changed the way they think and operate.
• Currently, 61 percent use 3D printing to produce at least 10 percent of their functional or end-use parts; a year ago, that percentage was 36.
• Seventy-nine percent expect their use of AM for the production of parts or goods to at least double in the next three to five years.
• The No. 1 objection companies have about adopting AM relates to the high cost of materials and lack of materials (56 percent), followed by workforce issues (44 percent) and process issues such as designing for AM (39 percent).
The 30-page survey can be downloaded at the Jabil website.
From thefabricator
