3D Printing: The Next Industrial Revolution

3D printing is taking the manufacturing and design worlds by storm, and has gained everyone's attention.  In recent years, 3D printer prices have dropped substantially, and a wide variety of printable materials is available.  You don't need to be a CAD expert to create a 3D-printable file.  Media attention has helped further accelerate the industry's momentum.  This market is experiencing rapid growth and lots of change, which is why Semico is releasing a new report titled: 3D Printing:  The Next Industrial Revolution.  

It has captured the imagination of many, with the possibility of starting a manufacturing revolution.  New applications and materials are announced on a (very) frequent basis.  3D printing is being used in many more applications than most people realize.  But the most exciting applications for 3D printing are the ones that haven't even been conceived of yet.  It's exciting to realize we are on the cusp of a manufacturing revolution that affects so many different industries already. 

"We're always looking for the next big thing.  Wearable technology might just be the next big thing." says Adrienne Downey, Semico's Director of Techology Research, Manufacturing.  "If that proves to be true, it will be enabled in large part by the rise of 3D printing, which allows us to easily make products customized to each individual."

Semico's research report 3D Printing:  The Next Industrial Revolution provides a primer on the 3D printing industry along with Semico's assessment of the key success factors.  Beginning with applications, and moving to printer types and materials, different 3D printing technologies are discussed, along with the 3D printing ecosystem.  Advantages of 3D printing and the future of the industry are also covered.

Some of the key findings include:

• The 3D printing industry will top $3 billion in revenues this year.
• 3D printing materials will grow to be a third of the market by 2019.
• The rise of the Service Bureau and desktop-level printers will democratize design and manufacturing. 
• Graphene is a promising future material for 3D printing.
• 3D printer units will grow by 6X between 2014 to 2017.

Semico's 3D Printing:  The Next Industrial Revolution provides insight into market dynamics including how crowd sourcing is affecting the market.  The report mentions several key players including:

3D Group, 3D Systems, 3Doodler, Aardman Animation, Altamat, Amazon, American Graphite Techologies, Autodesk, Bare Conductive, BMW, Coca-Cola, ColorFabb, CreoPop, Disney, eBay, English Racing, EOS, Ewe, ExOne, General Electric, Google, Grafoid, Graphene 3D Labs, Graphene Technologies, Home Depot, IBM, Intel, Invisalign, Kibaran Resources, Lite-On Mobile, Lomiko Metals, Made in Space, Mcor Technologies, Metal Technology, Microsoft, MIT, NASA, Neotech AMT, Nike, Optomec, Rabbit Proto, RepRap, Samsung, Sculptify, Shapeways, SpaceX, Staples, Stratasys, Structur3D, Taulman, Tehers Unlimited, Thingiverse, twoBEars, US Postal Service, and Voxeljet