The market for additive manufacturing with metal is developing rapidly. For instance, such 3D printers are printing faster and faster, can make bigger and bigger prints and more and more 3D printers for metal are available. Also new is the arrival of relatively cheap printers, available for less than $100,000. Such printers make 3D metal printing available to a larger number of companies. However, due to the high price tag, economically viable applications are limited.
This is according to research by IDTechEx, in which the research firm zooms in on this price range. 3D printing is known to include polymer printing and consumer-oriented 3D printers. Much of the market value of 3D printing is in industrial applications, which often involve printing in metal, according to IDTechEx. Many 3D printers for metal currently used for this purpose are based on powder bed fusion, a technology in which powdered metal is sprinkled onto a print bed. This powder is then cured, often using a laser. Such printers can cost more than a million dollars.
High price tag
The high price tag of metal printers ensures that this technology is particularly used in sectors where they add a lot of value. These include the aerospace, defence and medical sectors. Powder bed fusion printers are also gaining popularity in other sectors, but the high price tag makes it difficult to find economically viable applications. There are alternatives available for 3D printing in metal, such as directed energy deposition (DED), metal binder jetting and material jetting.
A recent development is the availability of 'desktop model' metal printers. These are often available for less than $100,000. The smaller-scale printers make 3D metal printing more accessible and suitable for research, prototyping and producing small replacement parts, among other things.
Different players with different processes
Several players with different processes operate in the segment. Bound Metal Deposition (BMD) from parties such as Markforged and Desktop Metal gets the most attention. This involves heating braided metal rods, which consist of metal powder passed through a binder of wax and polymer, and pressing them through an extruder. However, other processes are also available. These include extruding pellets instead of filament. Or Rapidia's water-based printing process.
Making such cheaper ones a success requires higher sales volumes than for more expensive ones. This requires a larger-scale embrace of the printers than has been the case so far. Indeed, IDTechEx expects manufacturers to generate limited revenue from materials sales, while the 'simple' design of many printers reduces maintenance, installation and training revenue. The software and replacement parts market could also benefit from a larger sales market.
Limitations
IDTechEx also points out some limitations of 3D printers for metal that are often overlooked. As an example, the research firm cites bound metal processes, which require necessary decomposition steps. This brings solvent and cost trade-offs, as well as limitations in terms of part thickness. Other processes also have such limitations. IDTechEx stresses that these limitations are not 'deal-breakers', but that printers are often less plug-and-play than customers may expect.
Further information is available in the report‘Metal Additive Manufacturing 2020–2030’. In this report, IDTechEx provides, amongst other things, a detailed market forecast for the next ten years.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
