The survey's respondents are serious users. Each one of the 700 engineers, executives, designers and project managers who participated are already using 3-D printing in their manufacturing processes or plan to do so in the next three years.
"We asked respondents whether they expect their company's in-house 3-D printing production to increase, decrease or stay the same over the next three years," said a Stratasys Direct Manufacturing spokesperson. "We asked the same question relative to their company's outsourced 3-D printing production."
Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, an indirect subsidiary of Stratasys, has released "3D Printing's Imminent Impact on Manufacturing," an in-depth industry report highlighting current and impending trends in 3-D printing. The report is based on an independent survey of 700 designers, engineers and executives – 40% of whom are employed by companies with over $50 million in revenue. Moreover, respondents work for companies that are committed to using 3-D printing, "making this one of the only 3-D printing reports uniquely focused on insights from professional users," said a company spokesperson.
"We needed to look beyond our factory walls to get a more complete sense of where 3-D printing is headed, so we turned to those who live and breathe the technology just like we do – professional users," said Joe Allison, CEO of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. "We set out to uncover the common themes among companies who are on the spectrum of larger-scale adoption and integration of 3-D printing into their manufacturing process. We are sharing our findings to help advance adoption and help manufacturers maximize the business benefits."
The report indicates what applications, business benefits and challenges, equipment, materials and services are capturing the attention of 3-D printing's most committed users and where their companies will invest.
Results include:
- The majority of respondents – representing the aerospace, automotive, consumer and medical sectors – strongly believe that more end-use parts will be designed specifically for additive manufacturing (AM) in the future
- Additive metal use is expected to nearly double over the next three years
- The majority of respondents said that regardless of their company's in-house AM capabilities, they believe there will always be value in partnering with an AM service provider to augment internal capabilities.
"If your company is a committed user of 3D printing, the report will provide assurance that you are headed down a similar path of your peers and face many of the same challenges in regards to adoption," said Allison. "If you are still dipping your toe in the water, the results may serve as a wake-up call to take swifter action."
To download a free copy of the report, visit pages.stratasysdirect.com/trend-forecast.
For more information contact:
Stratasys Direct Inc.
28309 Ave Crocker
Valencia, CA 91355
888-311-1017
info@stratasysdirect.com
www.stratasysdirect.com