Market Challenges: High capital investment required

Global metal additive manufacturing market growth can be hampered due to high capital investment required to establish additive manufacturing facilities. Setting up industrial-grade 3D metal printers, supporting metal powder production processes, and compulsory safety certifications involve massive initial costs. While hardware prices are declining year-over-year, a commercial-scale production system can also be expensive. This prohibitive expense prevents many smaller manufacturers from adopting the technology in their operations. Maintaining and upgrading such advanced manufacturing equipment throughout its lifespan demands continued capital allocation. The high barrier to entry protects larger enterprises from competition but slows the overall diffusion of metal additive manufacturing across different sectors. To address this issue, industry participants are exploring shared services models and pay-per-use arrangements to help minimize upfront capital outlays for interested parties.

Market Opportunities: Use of advanced materials for market

Usage of advanced materials can offer growth opportunities for global metal additive manufacturing market. As the technology matures, it gains capabilities to 3D print increasingly complex metal alloys with tailored microstructures and properties. Materials like titanium and nickel alloys that were previously difficult to produce through traditional methods can be precisely deposited layer-by-layer. This allows the development of new materials optimized for strength, lightweight, corrosion resistance and other performance attributes. It also facilitates on-demand production of scarce or expensive alloys. Many industries, including aerospace, medical and energy, are actively pursuing novel materials to develop radical new product designs. The precision of additive processes enables designers to leverage unique material combinations at micron-level resolutions. This drives innovation and increases applications of advanced materials across multiple end-use sectors. It can create new revenue streams and drive the market growth in the future.