3D printing, also known as Additive manufacturing (AM) is fast becoming an integral part of the factory of the future. It can 3D print almost any object like aircraft parts, dental appliances, medical implants, automobiles, jewelry and possibly human tissue in the near future.
Industry adoption of AM is also on the rise, none more so than ceramics which is emerging from the shadows of its matured predecessors, plastics and metals. Leading industry analyst and consulting firm, SmarTech Publishing, reported in their new Ceramics Additive Manufacturing 2018 report, that the overall revenues for ceramics 3D printing are expected to exceed $3.6 billion by 2028, largely driven by strong CAGR growth in end-use production.
In the short to medium term, ceramics 3D printing will be largely focused on AM part production, working on the experience gleaned from adopters and those working with plastic and metals technologies. This shift will gradually grow by imitating and benefiting from the experience of powder metal additive
manufacturing. The adoption of CIM (ceramics injection molding) additive manufacturing processes will then significantly drive adoption and throughput capabilities, lowering costs by 2021.
An inflection point will then be experienced after 2025 as major AM technologies supporting ceramics production reach maturity and enjoy sufficient market presence.
Companies that are working or developing for ceramics AM have come to understand that the extreme geometric capabilities of AM are ideal for the production of complex ceramic parts across industries like aerospace, automotive, marine, energy, electronics, medical, dental, and biomedical, and in time to come, overcome today’s challenge of market demand creation.
Source: Smartech Publishing