Market Insights

Gartner releases 2017 3D printing Hype Cycle

The 2017 3D printing Gartner hype cycle is now available.

Hype, or the general interest around a new technology, is tracked by the U.S. research firm Gartner who publish their data in the form of a graphical representation.

The hype cycle has become a standard fixture in many presentations covering 3D printing. Gartner say the research shows the “maturity and adoption of technologies and applications, and how they are potentially relevant to solving real business problems and exploiting new opportunities.”

A useful tool – with caveats

Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future,” wrote Nils Bohr. Critics of the hype cycle range from the fact the cycle is actually a curve and a bias towards techno-optimism. Furthermore, the accelerating pace of technology is not accounted for. An idea explored in more detail by the academics behind the Red Queen effect.

As Michael Mullany at VC firm Icon Ventures points out, “It’s remarkable the number of major technologies from the last 20 years that were either identified late or simply never appeared on a Hype Cycle.”

The Gartner Hype Cycle does provide a useful way of tracking media mentions – including the tone – and the marketing effort dedicated to a technology. It also goes someway to creating a consensus view of how emerging technology is perceived.

With these points in mind, here is the 2017 Gartner hype cycle for 3D printing:

  • On the Rise
    • 3D Printing Workflow Software
    • 3DP of Consumable Personal Products
    • 4D Printing
    • Nanoscale 3DP
    • 3D Printed Wearables
    • 3D-Printed Drugs
    • 3D Bioprinted Organ Transplants
    • IP Protection in 3DP
    • Macro 3D Printing
    • Sheet Lamination
    • 3D Printing in Oil and Gas
  • At the Peak
    • Powder Bed Fusion
    • 3D Printing in Retail
    • Classroom 3D Printing
    • Directed Energy Deposition
    • 3D Printed Surgical Implants
    • 3D Printing in Supply Chain
    • 3D Bioprinting for Life Science R&D
  • Sliding Into the Trough
    • 3D Printing of Medical Devices
    • 3D Bioprinted Human Tissue
    • Consumer 3D Printing
    • 3D Printing in Manufacturing Operations
    • 3DP in Aerospace and Defense
    • Stereolithography
    • 3DP Presurgery Anatomical Models
    • 3D Printed Tooling, Jigs and Fixtures
    • 3D Printed Electronics and Fabrication
  • Climbing the Slope
    • 3D Printing of Dental Devices
    • Binder Jetting
    • Material Jetting
    • 3DP in Automotive
    • Enterprise 3D Printing
    • Material Extrusion
    • 3D Scanners
    • 3D Print Creation Software
    • 3D Printing Service Bureaus
  • Entering the Plateau
    • 3D Printing for Prototyping
    • 3D Printing of Hearing Devices

More information about the 2017 Gartner Hype Cycle for 3D Printing is available here.

For all the latest 3D printing industry news, subscribe to our newsletter and follow our active social media accounts.

More on this topicThe nuances of laser engraving