Financing for growth in additive manufacturing

Abstract

Digital fabrication technologies have been improving their capabilities and competitiveness steadily over the past decade and may be approaching an inflection point in their enterprise adoption. However, several important technological, economic (cost) and business (adoption risk) barriers stand in the way of broader adoption. This research seeks to explore the rich history that has driven the growth of Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) in the application of manufacturing of a displacement or augmentation of current production level techniques, what business model or characteristics will continue to drive growth and industrial adoption, and the current limitation that must be overcome to unlock broader enterprise adoption. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of growth financing, this paper seeks to answer two critical questions to highlight investment opportunities in the space of Additive Manufacturing; 1) Where is digital fabrication positioned to compete with traditional manufacturing methods over the next five years and what are the key enablers, and 2) As digital fabrication becomes more competitive for different applications, who in the value chain benefits the most.