Wohlers Associates helps organizations take advantage of technologies and strategies that enhance the rapid product development and manufacturing process.
Investors of additive manufacturing (AM) come in many forms. Among them are institutional, private equity, venture capital, angel, and individuals. Increasingly, investors are in pursuit of AM-related companies with a promising future. The challenge is to know, with reasonable certainty, what that future looks like and how AM developments will unfold in the coming years. To date, few events on AM have been designed specifically for the investment community. This…
Is the U.S. making a comeback in additive manufacturing? Some might question whether the U.S. had fallen back in its position. In the 2000s, the U.S. definitely lost ground in a number of areas to the likes of China and Germany. One area is in the production of industrial AM systems, which are those that sell for more than $5,000. Consider that 52 manufacturers—32 Chinese and 20 German—produced and sold…
By Ray Huff The first months of the year are always an exciting time of discovery at our company. Gathering so much detailed information and data from around the world is laborious but rewarding. We have the deepest appreciation and respect for our core team of analysts, consultants, and writers spanning five continents. Members of the team have worked through blizzards, intercontinental moves, family emergencies, and even daily power loss…
At an impressive pace, companies in the aerospace industry are building in-house capacity and expanding the number of certified suppliers in additive manufacturing. The Federal Aviation Administration and others have indicated to me that a half dozen or more metal AM parts have been certified for flight. In the 2014 to 2016 time frame, I saw more than 30 new designs for metal AM at Airbus and its subsidiary Premium…
Yesterday, I recently returned from my 22nd visit to Africa. Twenty of them have been to South Africa where additive manufacturing activity is the strongest. In fact, I estimate that 99% of AM work on the continent has occurred in the country. Some limited activity is underway in Botswana, Egypt, Namibia, and Nigeria. Adoption has been especially strong at Central University of Technology, Vaal University of Technology, Stellenbosch University, and…
The idea of 3D-printed food came in or around 2011 when Hod Lipson and his team at Cornell University produced some crude but intriguing examples. The team showed that it was possible to use a syringe-based material extrusion-based 3D printer to deposit cheese, peanut butter, chocolate, and other types of foods. The objects clearly demonstrated the concept. In 2014, 3D Systems introduced its ChefJet 3D printer for making candy and…
By Olaf Diegel Over the past three decades, the bulk of research in additive manufacturing has largely focused on AM processes and materials. In the last three years, organizations have begun to appreciate the importance of design for additive manufacturing (DfAM). Funding agencies are increasingly supporting DfAM, and companies are asking for courses on the subject. Over the past 12 months, I have given more than 20 DfAM courses for…
By Ray Huff Two weeks ago, I visited Avid Product Development, a design, prototyping, and small batch manufacturing firm in Loveland, Colorado. In recent years, Avid has strategically invested in additive manufacturing equipment to scale part production for its customers. Among these technologies are material extrusion machines from Stratasys, photopolymer-based printers from Formlabs, and Multi Jet Fusion machines from HP. The number of end-use parts being manufactured by Avid makes…
By Ray Huff and Terry Wohlers Note: John Hornick of Finnegan collected and assembled the data for the chart. A key indicator of innovation in any industry is patent applications. From 1996 to 2013, the additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing industry experienced a moderate but steady increase in published patent applications. From 2013 to 2016, the number of applications grew by a surprising 7.7 times, as shown in the…
ASTM unites with the Wohlers brand to build on its market influence and access to top advanced manufacturing industry decision-makers worldwide.
Under the leadership of the R&D team, the AM CoE partners plan and conduct coordinated R&D projects, prioritized annually and targeted to expedite...
Provide a comprehensive program that educates and trains the additive manufacturing workforce at all levels, while continually incorporating new advances...
