In the short space of a month, news about 3D printing has escalated to almost frenzied levels, The question for the Australian and New Zealand printing and allied industry is clear: “Do we ignore it, embrace it or wait until it’s an established business model?”
In the October 29 ReVerb, I mentioned 3D printing as one possible way to ‘re-engineer’ our industry as we approach the year 2020. Re-engineering any industry is not only about doing more of the same only better; it should also be about doing new things and disrupting other markets.
News arrived today from the drupa 2016 organisers with the alluring title: “All aboard: The 3D revolution is spreading like wildfire.” PR hype or a reflection of the facts? The German VDMA (equivalent of our GAMAA) and Messe Düsseldorf have united to bring what they call the 3D fab+print brand to drupa for 2016. 3D fab+print was launched at October’s K 2013 event, also in Düsseldorf and a trade fair dedicated to Plastics, Rubber and Synthetic materials. It will also feature at trade fairs Medica 2014, GIFA, Metec, Thermprocess and Newcast.
According to a recently released 320 page market analysis by Dallas, TX based research group Markets & Markets, the global revenues from 3D printing will grow at a CAGR of 23% a year between now and 2020, to reach USD$8.41 billion.
3D has always existed within printing in the forms of packaging and those elaborate examples of cardboard engineering we see in supermarkets as Point-of-Purchase displays. However, the mindset of our industry is still decidedly two-dimensional in both meanings of the word.
That the world’s largest ‘print and paper’ trade fair has enthusiastically embraced 3D printing should alert 2D printers that something is about to happen. This is echoed by the industry’s largest manufacturing supplier, Hewlett Packard who first dabbled in 3D with the Designjet 3D in partnership with Stratasys (formely Objet) and according to CEO Meg Whitman will have their own 3D solutions by mid-2014. Whitman was quoted as saying: “3D printers are still in their infancy…it’s a great opportunity and we are very much committed.”
Market leader Stratasys itself, an Israeli-US company, is doing very well with its Nasdaq-listed shares hovering around USD$118 today, up from $7.58 ten years ago. Stratasys in Australia is sold by Tasman 3D.
As with the 2D print market, 3D is sectionalized into Desktop, Professional and Industrial level printers, with machine costs running from about $1,500 for slow desktop devices, up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for Industrial-grade 3D printers.
IT’S HAPPENING NOW, NOT TOMORROW
Like the star that lead the Magii to a stable in Bethlehem, events around the world are leading savvy printers to the promise of 3D profits. In November, the 3D Printing Show took place in London and Paris, with New York’s event scheduled for February 13-15. On 7th November, the University of Melbourne held a 3D Printing Showcase. The accompanying publication ‘3D Printmag’ is only up to its second issue, and can be downloaded from the iTunes store. Two week ago, news broke of the potential for 3D printed batteries, thin, flexible and cheap. The types of material that can be 3D ‘jetted’ is increasing to cover metals, plastics, latex, textiles, paper and even organic materials such as cloned cells.
The average printer is unlikely to be called upon to print a replacement skull part for an accident victim (the first such operation is about to happen, using 3D printed poly-ether-ketone-ketone from Oxford Performance Materials); so what are the potential applications?
One of the most logical for anyone already involved in printing architectural plans, drawings and other CAD/GIS/AEC must be 3D models of buildings and streetscapes. It’s already happening in the UK where a long-established printer, Hobs Reprographics, has added 3D services to its repertoire: www.hobs3d.com
We are not far behind in this region; architects have used 3D modeling services such as www.teamdesigns.com.au . Ironically, the 2D drawings printed from CAD programmes such as Autodesk on Xerox, Canon and HP plotters, can easily be rendered into 3D files for printing on various devices.
It’s easy for printers to dismiss 3D printing as irrelevant, faddish or disconnected from mainstream print. None of these are true. The same was said by Screenprinters of the first wide format inkjet printers in the early 1990s. In this world, things change fast but our brains can be slow to respond. New technology does not wait around for people to ‘get their head around it.’ It has a life of its own and you ignore it, adopt it or get run over by it.
It does not cost a lot to get into 3D printing at entry-level and it can be a lot of fun. Where it is heading is up to the imagination of those practicing it. For a great information resource and plenty of links, try www.3dprintshow.com
If nothing else, offering 3D printing services will demonstrate to your customers that you are progressive, innovative and not ‘rusted on’ to your heavy metal