According to IT research and advisory company Gartner, 60% of surveyed organisations said that the start up costs of implementing 3D printing strategies into their business are prohibitively high. Alternately, the same survey found that those companies that were able to adopt 3D printing have found clear benefits in adopting the technology early.
In early 2014 Gartner surveyed 300 representatives from organisations worldwide that were already using 3D printing in their business or had plans to do so in the future. Each business they spoke to had a minimum of 100 employees and was in a field where 3D printing is or would be an applicable process that would enhance their business. They’ve compiled this data into a new report that illuminates the wide variety of reasons for the delay in widespread 3D printing expansion.
“3D printing has broad appeal to a wide range of businesses and early adopter consumers, and while the technology is already in use across a wide range of manufacturing verticals from medical to aerospace, costs remain the primary concern for buyers,” explained the research director at Gartner Pete Basiliere. “3D printer vendors must work closely with their clients to identify potential applications of the technology that may have been overlooked, and improve the cost-benefit ratios of their products. Organizations that wish to experiment with the technology without incurring start-up costs should consider partnering with a local 3D printing service bureau.”
The most common application for 3D printing was, naturally, rapid prototyping and product development. However it revealed that it was starting to play a significant role in short run production of finished products. Based on the survey, Basiliere and Gartner predict that 3D printing will produce nearly 50% of parts and components consumed, sold or serviced by consumer, heavy industry and life sciences manufacturers.
Curiously, the push to go 3D generally isn’t coming from the companies CIO or CTO but 53% of those surveyed indicated that the heads of R&D, engineering or manufacturing are the driving force behind the strategy.
“An interesting finding was that respondents felt overwhelmingly that using a 3D printer as part of their supply chain generally reduces the cost of existing processes, especially research and product development costs,” Basiliere said. “The mean cost reduction for finished goods is between 4.1 percent and 4.3 percent, which is an impressive figure. It shows that early adopters of the technology are finding clear benefits, which are likely to drive further adoption.”
The reasons for 3D printer selection were as varied as the options on the market. 37% of those surveyed placing the finished part quality as the number one reason to purchase a specific printer while 28% were more concerned with cost. The printers options and features like printing speed, material options and printing envelop was the most important criteria for only 9% of respondents.
This was an interesting survey that has a lot of useful data for 3D printer technology developers. Clearly manufacturers need to find ways to help businesses new to the technology to be able to afford to buy in, and that may include dropping some of the high-tech bells and whistles that don’t seem to be a priority to most potential buyers.
The complete report is available for purchase directly from Gartner’s website.
