[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] The trend of 'deglobalization' is accelerating amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis. As more countries weaponize raw materials and food resources, supply chains are collapsing worldwide.
On the 29th, according to the 3D printer industry and 3D printing company Formlabs, a significant number of printer users are utilizing 3D printing for final finished parts products. This is a different phenomenon from the previous use mainly for product prototypes or testing purposes.
To overcome the global supply chain crisis caused by COVID-19, companies and engineers using 3D printers to reduce time and costs have surged. Formlabs recently released the '2022 3D Printing Industry Utilization and Trends Report,' conducted in collaboration with partners such as IndustryWeek and MachineDesign, surveying 400 engineers, designers, and entrepreneurs worldwide about their use and purposes of 3D printers. Among the respondents, 72% were using 3D printers, while the remaining 28% were not.
Many cases were found where the 'recent adopter group'?those who have used 3D printers within the last two years?pioneered many new utilization methods that did not exist before. While 3D printing was mainly limited to rapid prototyping and model making, recently a considerable number of companies have started securing 3D printing capabilities, enabling them to produce small-scale customized parts and final-use parts.
When asked about the specific uses of 3D printers, 48% answered small-scale customized part production, and 44% answered final-use part production. Among the recent adopter group, 63% used 3D printers partially or entirely for printing final-use parts.
The most common advantage cited for using 3D printers was "being able to quickly give form to creativity." This was followed by shortening the time from product development to market launch, gaining competitive advantage, satisfying consumer demands, and cost reduction.
The 3D printing technology expected to lead the market in the future was most frequently identified as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). Max Lobovsky, co-founder of Formlabs, said, "Supply chain issues have emerged worldwide due to the impact of COVID-19," adding, "The scope of 3D printing is expanding faster than expected."
According to a McKinsey report, the global industrial 3D printer and related sectors grew from $3.2 billion in 2012 to $12 billion by 2021. The economic ripple effect is predicted to reach up to $550 billion. GlobalData forecasts that the global 3D printing technology market will grow to $32 billion by 2025 and reach $60 billion by 2030.
Domestically, companies such as TPC and SMEC are engaged in the 3D printing business. TPC advanced its related business by acquiring 3D printer company Anywox in October 2013. The following year, with the ambition to compete with the market leader MakerBot in the U.S., it launched the 3D printer 'Finebot.' This indicates that it has secured know-how related to 3D printers. Since motion control is necessary for 3D printers, there is potential for the company's main products to be applied. TPC is promoting market expansion by partnering with the global 3D printer company Stratasys to introduce leading overseas products domestically.
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