In the next ten years, 3D printing composite materials will become a $2 billion industry

    Fiber-reinforced polymer 3D printing is rapidly approaching a commercial tipping point. In the next ten years, the market will grow to 2 billion U.S. dollars (approximately 13 billion RMB), equipment installations and applications will expand, and technology will continue to mature. However, growth is accompanied by challenges, the establishment of production, supply chain and digital infrastructure, and the number of manufacturers urgently need to be integrated.

Technology and material analysis

    IDTechEx’s latest market report "3D printed composite materials 2021-2031" mentioned that most of the fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) market is dominated by glass fiber and carbon fiber thermoplastics. This is not a new technology, but based on The entire 3D printing industry is on top of the development, and it takes time to develop and reach the point of commercial maturity. There are a variety of 3D printing composite material methods on the market, mainly around materials (continuous fibers and chopped fibers; thermoplastic and thermosetting) and suitable for industrial organizations , Desktop printer features for professional consumers or hobbyists.

    The core of the industry is material, which determines the attributes of parts and printer requirements, and is also a key part of the business model. For many people, continuous fiber composites have important value, but short fiber composites and a range of thermoplastics and thermosetting resins also have great opportunities.

    Many strategic partnerships are being established between emerging hardware manufacturers and major chemical companies, as well as activities between chemical companies, such as BASF's acquisition of the Owens Corning production line in 2020. In addition, some companies have directly entered this field by introducing filaments or other composite materials. A typical example is Braskem's entry into this field with recycled carbon fiber reinforced PP.

The latest developments in the industry

    Most of the activities in the field of 3D printing composites are concentrated in the United States. Since the end of 2020, Markforged has announced new materials, printers and distribution partners, and announced plans to go public. This allowed the company to release a large amount of funds to promote growth and mergers and acquisitions, and became the subject of patent infringement lawsuits filed by Continuous Composites. Desktop Metal, which has the same historical status as Markforged, used Fiber products for the first time at the end of 2019 and launched 3D printed composite materials. However, major emerging players are appearing in Europe and Asia, and are gradually joining the increasingly fierce market.

Application of composite 3D printing

    Compared with traditional manufacturing, additive manufacturing is still hindered by factors such as productivity, available material combinations, training and expertise requirements, and scale. In many cases, this limits its application areas to prototypes and tools. Composite 3D printers face the same dilemma, with more and more examples of end-use parts, and it will continue to increase. But the main use area is still in the manufacturing workshop, producing jigs, fixtures, tools and other equipment, which makes this technology always used in the middle and low parts.

    Although the manufacturing workshop is still a potentially advantageous area and has obvious added value, with the emergence of new solutions and the potential of this technology in high-value industries such as aerospace and medical, composite printers can not only replace metal parts , Can also promote design improvements. And many companies are gradually discovering that introducing this technology internally can reduce supplier costs and inventory challenges caused by replacement parts.

Thermoplastic material reinforced product supply

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