Data, DfAM and Defence dominated the predictions made by these AM experts at the start of 2024.
And while they all proved to be key themes for the year, they weren't necessarily what grabbed the headlines.
Developments in defence will always prove newsworthy, but progress in data and DfAM, for example, are more likely to occur quietly in the background.
Instead, what pulls in the audience continues to be product launches, market consolidation and industry insights. The year wasn't short of those. As we reflect back on the last 12 months, it has been a topsy-turvy time. Some in the industry were building momentum, others were unsure they'd make it through the year, and both happened to be true of one AM brand which was all but dead in the summer and brought back to life in the winter.
By the year's end, printed parts were getting bigger, workforces smaller, and discourse even richer. How is it this technology spawns as many believers as naysayers, as much hope as cynicism, as much speculation as inevitability? The future of the industry - if it should even be called that - is uncertain, but there remains plenty to be confident about when it comes to the technology.
Month by month, this is TCT's round-up of another eventful year in additive.
January
GKN Aerospace
Industry development: Desktop Metal lays off 20% of staff in latest cost reduction plan
Off the back of an unsuccessful merger with Stratasys in 2023, Desktop Metal announced yet another reduction in size - its third since going public in 2020. This time, the company let go 20% of its workforce as part of a 50 million USD cost reduction plan.
Industry development: Velo3D receives non-compliance notice from NYSE
Product launch: RIC Technology launches new automated robotic arm construction 3D printer
Industry development: GKN Aerospace invests £50 million to grow sustainable 3D printing facility in Sweden
Though the first month of the year already brought with it signs that many AM companies were in for another challenging year, there were more than a few bright spots. GKN Aerospace was one of those balancing the bad with the good, as it announced a 50 million GBP investment in 3D printing technology.
Mergers & acquisitions: Align Technology completes €79m acquisition of Cubicure
Technology launch: MIT researchers demonstrate rapid liquid metal 3D printing technique
Podcast: #161 Inspection, software & how to build confidence in additively manufactured parts
February
Lincoln Electric
Insights: Interim CEO Brad Kreger on the potential sale of Velo3D
After Velo3D was hit with another noncompliance notice in January, the company found itself amidst more difficulty. With Brad Kreger appointed as CEO in the wake of founder Benny Buller's departure, he spoke to TCT about the future of the company, including whether a sale was on the cards.
Product launch: 3D Systems introduces “industry’s first” multi-material, one-piece jetted denture solution
Back when SPAC public listings were all the rage in the AM sector, Essentium tried and failed to go public; its business combination with Atlantic Coastal was terminated just two months after the deal was agreed in February 2022. Two years on, with Essentium now a Nexa3D company, founder Blake Teipel was able to reveal the hows and whys of Essentium's botched public listing.
Application: Lincoln Electric to additively manufacture large metal propulsion parts for the US Navy
Application: Pentagon to purchase 3D printed rocket motors from Ursa Major
Podcast: #165 Inside the 3D printing workflows at Mayo Clinic & Walter Reed National Millitary Medical Center
March
Industry development: GE Aerospace announces additional additive manufacturing investments as $650m pumped into global manufacturing sites
Following GKN Aerospace's large investment in AM, GE Aerospace was not to be outdone. The company has pioneered the successful adoption of metal additive in the aerospace sector, and is pumping many more millions in to ensure it doesn't lose momentum.
Mergers & acquisitions: Stratasys acquires Arevo carbon fibre 3D printing IP to advance FDM offering
Application: BMW plans to use wire arc additive manufacturing for vehicle production
Industry development: Lockheed Martin leads $12.5M seed funding in Firestorm Labs
Insights: Additive manufacturing in defence - 5 things we learnt from the 2024 AMADS Conference
In a fraught geopolitical climate, attention is increasingly turning to additive manufacturing to overcome supply chain challenges, increase performance and reduce turnaround times. At the 2024 Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace, Defence and Space Conference in Bristol, UK, that enhanced interest was on show for all to see.
Podcast: #171 How 3D printing enables the designs of Ursa Major Technologies' rocket engines
April
Formlabs
Industry development: GE Additive rebrands as Colibrium Additive; Concept Laser & Arcam brands to be retired
Product launch: Formlabs unveils next-generation Form 4 3D printer series
Application: US Army Corps & Lincoln Electric produce 12-foot-long ship arrestor system part with metal 3D printing
That increased interest in additive from the defence sector was already yielding output, as Lincoln Electric and the US Army Corps proved with this 12-foot long ship arrestor system component - the largest US civil works infrastructure component to be manufactured with 3D printing.
Product launch: UltiMaker launches Factor 4 3D printer 'built for factory floor'
Industry development: Sintavia invests $25 million in Florida metal additive manufacturing facility
Through the doors: 3T AM | 'Our philosophy is that AM prints a billet and then you make parts.'
Much is made about the economics of AM, the repeatability of 3D printing processes, and the challenge of getting a return in investment. But do manufacturers need to think differently about where 3D printing sits in the manufacturing value chain? And how that impacts their cost-per-part calculations?
Podcast: #178 1000 Kelvin CEO Omar Fergani on the development of an AI-powered co-pilot for AM
May
COBRA Golf
Insights: The economics of additive manufacturing are broken — here's how to fix it
Product launch: Eplus3D introduces EP-M2050 metal 3D printing system with optional configuration of 64 lasers
Industry development: SLS 3D printing firm Sintratec shuts down
A key theme of AM in 2024 was having success and positivity punctured by the stark realities of the industry. There would be plenty of technology enhancements, application breakthroughs, and venture capital rounds that sparked promise, but every now and then a company would succumb to the saturation, and inconsistent performance, of the market. In May, it was the end of the road for Sintratec.
Application: COBRA Golf unveils LIMIT3D 3D printed steel irons designed in partnership with nTop
Technology launch: Desktop Metal's Reactive Safety Kit enables binder jet 3D printing of titanium & aluminium materials
Application: BMW 3D printed more than 400,000 parts worldwide last year
And then, a reminder of where the inherent optimism of the AM sector comes from. An automotive leader nearing half a million production parts in a year - why wouldn't you be confident in the capability of this technology?
Podcast: #179 WAAM3D CEO on building value in supply chains with wire arc additive manufacturing
June
WAAM3D
WAAM3D MiniWAAM
Industry development: Carpenter Additive shuts down UK facility but 'remains committed' to serving AM customers
Nearly six years after its entry into the UK AM market with its acquisition of LPW Technology, Carpenter announced it was pulling away, shutting down its additive manufacturing powders facility in Widnes. It would continue to serve the AM market, a Carpenter statement said, but it was consolidating its manufacturing activities as part of ongoing efforts to achieve leaner operations.
Product launch: WAAM3D launches compact MiniWAAM metal 3D printer at TCT 3Sixty
Application: Audi Sport reduces design time by 90% with automation of 3D printed jigs and fixtures
Application: 3D Systems targeting commercialisation of direct 3D printing technology for clear aligners by late 2025
3D Systems might have been rocked by Align Technology's acquisition of Cubicure to press ahead with its ambitions of additively manufacturing direct aligners, but the leading AM company has ambitions of its own. In this announcement, it revealed a target date for when it hopes to commercialise its direct 3D printing technology for clear aligners as part of an enhanced technology roadmap for the dental sector.
Product launch: Colibrium Additive launches Spectra M electron beam melting 3D printer at RAPID + TCT
Industry development: Desktop Metal announces 1-for-10 reverse stock split
Podcast: #184 TCT 3Sixty 2024: 3D printing launches and additive opportunity
July
LEAP 71
Industry development: Shapeways ceases operations and files for bankruptcy
The 3 July 2024 could long be remembered as one of additive manufacturing's significant days, with this story catching the most attention despite big developments at Nano and BASF. News of Shapeways' demise was the most read article on the TCT Magazine website all year - by a long way.
Mergers & acquisitions: Nano Dimension to acquire outstanding shares of Desktop Metal; Deal could be worth as little as $135m
Desktop Metal said it intended to remain an independent company after the Stratasys merger fell through, but that didn't last long. All the facts of its merger agreement with Nano Dimension can be found above, with an explainer going into more detail here.
Industry development: BASF's Forward AM additive manufacturing business carved out & to continue as independent company
Application: NAVSEA to 'revitalise' Submarine Industrial Base with help of HP Metal Jet 3D printing technology
Application: Exclusive | Behind the scenes at world first hot fire test of computationally engineered rocket engine
Beyond the chaos of July 3, the month will also be remembered for the first hot fire testing of a computationally engineered engine. TCT had exclusive media access.
Mergers & acquisitions: Formlabs acquires SLS 3D printing start-up Micronics
Podcast: #189 CEO Peter Schmitt on Fluent Metal's single step liquid metal 3D printing technology
August
SpaceX via X
Application: SpaceX simplifies Raptor engine: Has it used additive manufacturing?
Industry development: Stratasys files patent infringement lawsuit against Bambu Lab
What is a year in AM if one company doesn't take another to court? The industry's latest IP dispute saw Stratasys file claims against Chinese FFF 3D printer company Bambu Lab, with Julian Asquith, European patent attorney and Partner of Marks & Clerk, providing a view from Europe in this handy article.
Industry development: Manuevo acquires Shapeways' assets and takes over team and operations in Eindhoven
Technology launch: Markforged introduces metal 3D printing capability to its FX10 platform
Industry development: Velo3D to make 30% of workforce redundant in effort to reduce costs
The first of two rounds of redundancies at Velo3D as its struggles to continue.
Industry development: Stratasys announces restructuring plans
Industry leader Stratasys wasn't immune to the difficult market conditions, with the company announcing it would make 15% of its workforce redundant by the end of the year.
Podcast: #192 Applying additive manufacturing in life sciences - with AM engineers from Merck & Sartorius
September
Puma
3D printed Puma Mostro 3.D
Mergers & Acquisitions: Nano Dimension to acquire Markforged
Not satisfied with the acquisition of Desktop Metal, Nano Dimension spotted an opportunity to bring Markforged into the fold at the same time. It came after Markforged had agreed to pay Continuous Composites 25m USD in damages and announced a 1-for-10 reverse stock split, with CEOs Yoav Stern and Shai Terem telling TCT the combined company will become a ‘materials-oriented’ organisation.
Industry development: Velo3D stock to be delisted from New York Stock Exchange; Company to begin trading on OTCQX Best Market
Application: Carbon DLS 3D printing technology enables new headrest design for Lotus Theory 1 concept car
Application: SpaceX licences Velo3D metal additive manufacturing tech in $8 million deal
Velo3D continued to stumble through the year, and while some had speculated a user of its technology - like SpaceX for example - might step in to acquire the company, it instead sought to protect its investment with a $8m licensing deal.
Industry development: Sandvik exits stake in BEAMIT and refocuses on metal powders for 3D printing
Application: 3D printing brings A$AP Rocky's monster Puma shoe to life
Podcast: #197 The Feedback Loop: An Axtra3D Hybrid PhotoSynthesis deep dive with Toyota & Met-L-Flo
October
Subaru Corporation
SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK BOOSTGEAR PACKAGE
Product launch: Bambu Lab delays launch of high-end 3D printer series until early 2025
Bambu Lab's popularity continues to soar, with many users championing the performance of its desktop FFF products. But those waiting for the launch of its next product were forced to wait until the new year as the company refused to rush its 'high-end' 3D printer to market.
Industry development: Velo3D to make more job cuts before end of 2024
Product launch: Formlabs launches large-format Form 4L series; opens up SLA & SLS 3D printers to third-party materials
While Formlabs led this announcement with news of its Form 4L machine, the biggest development was in materials. After 15 years, the company was finally doing away with its closed materials model, opening up its product portfolio to materials from third-party suppliers.
Application: Subaru adopts HP 3D printing for BOOSTGEAR concept car
Industry development: Protolabs shuts down DMLS 3D printing services at Putzbrunn site
Podcast: #205 Rob Higham & John Barnes deep dive into metal powders for additive manufacturing
November
TCT
Product launch: 3D Systems to show 'next generation' SLA and Figure 4 products and more at Formnext
Mergers & acquisitions: Siemens to acquire Altair in $10.6 billion deal
Industry development: Leading Minds consortium featuring eight additive manufacturing leaders announced at Formnext
Eight additive manufacturing companies celebrated their cooperation at Formnext, with Ansys, EOS, HP, Materialise, Nikon SLM, Renishaw, Stratasys, and TRUMPF set to develop a common language framework for AM. But will it work? And how will we be able to tell?
Application: Harley Davidson Racing team speeds up production and podium finishes with 3D printing
Industry development: Forward AM confirms insolvency process as 'proactive measure to restructure the business'
Industry development: Nexa3D disputes bankruptcy claims after Formnext 2024 absence
The rumour mill was in overdrive at Formnext when it emerged that Nexa3D had pulled out of exhibiting earlier in the month. Hearsay would have you believe that the company was heading for bankruptcy, CEO Avi Reichental had left his post, and that there were only 20 employees left. Nexa3D, however, refuted all such claims.
Product launch: Farsoon introduces compact FS191M metal 3D printer
December
Renishaw
RenAM 500D
Industry development: The Shapeways brand is revived as Manuevo acquires 'all available assets' from trustees
Even in December, the rollercoaster of emotions continued. Shapeways was dead just five months earlier, and while phoenix company Manuevo had secured some physical assets in the summer, by Christmas it had revived the company's brand, website, and acquired the Thangs 3D file sharing platform from Physna, Inc.
Mergers & acquisitions: Anzu Partners agrees to acquire Voxeljet in €20m deal; go-shop period permits company to pursue other buyers
Product launch: Renishaw launches RenAM 500D dual laser metal 3D printer
Mergers & acquisitions: Hexagon set to acquire 3D Systems' Geomagic portfolio for $123 million
3D Systems is once again divesting a significant portion of its company as it places its focus on core additive manufacturing businesses. This time, Hexagon is at the front of the queue to integrate the Geomagic portfolio, with Hexagon interim CEO Norbert Hanke suggesting the acquisition will 'further strengthen our market leadership in 3D metrology and reengineering.'
Podcast: #214 AM in 2024: Bankruptcies, mergers and increased investment in automotive, aerospace & defence
