Just when the hype around so-called 3D printing or additive manufacturing seems to have quieted down – no it’s not going to revolutionize many supply chains overnight – there seems to be real commercial progress going on.
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CNBC recently reported, for example, that Goodyear recently opened a $77 million plant in Luxembourg that is focused on 3D printing and can make some times four times faster in small batches than with conventional production.
To be clear, this is still not for high volume tires for regular cars and trucks. But for certain high-end, ultra-high performance tires that require much more complexity, made in smaller lot sizes, 3D is the cheaper and faster approach.
“Like with any innovation, targeting the right use case is key. 3D printing is not for every job,” Chris Helsel, senior vice president, global operations and CTO at Goodyear, told CNBC.
But the company sees a bright future for 3D printing. By 2030, Goodyear aims to launch maintenance-free and airless tires to market, and 3DD printing is part of that srategy.
Already, about 2% of Goodyear's tire production is through additive manufacturing.
Still, as noted above, progress is in many respects slow.
“Additive manufacturing is still a very small, specialized technology,” Jörg Bromberger, director of strategy and operations at McKinsey in Berlin, and lead author of the consulting firm’s recent report on the industrial technology, told CNBC. “Heavily investing in additive manufacturing can bring some effect but it is still pretty limited.”
But is technology foundation in place for much more widespread use of 3D printing?
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3D printing industry consultant Wohlers Associates says it expects additive manufacturing to grow to $85.3 billion in 2031 from $15.2 billion in 2021.
 Consider Humtown Products, a family-owned foundry near Youngstown, Ohio, that adopted 3D printing in 2014 as an efficient way to make industrial cores and molds.
Now, its additive manufacturing division accounts for 55% of overall revenue and is growing by 50% each year.
Giant engine maker Cummins pays a little more to buy 3D printed castings from Humtown because they are a lot more accurate, allowing productivity gains in its factories.
Meanwhile, aerospace giant Boeing is also investing heavily in the technology, with a team of 100 engineers, researchers and other specialists in advancing the technology’s development in a facility in Washington state.
For some parts, Boeing is seeing a 10-fold reduction in lead times for production, streamlined designs that allow making just one large piece for assembly, and increased durability.
Boeing expects that soon every satellite it makes will contain 3D-printed parts. The company already uses the technology to make components for the Boeing 787 aircraft.
In fact, the leading industrial sector using the 3D printing is aerospace, followed by medical/dental and automotive.
But the cost of the machines is an obstacle for many companies. Prices for industrial 3D printer range from $25,000 to $500,000 and up to $1 million for large systems.
Another major obstacle, experts say: a lack of engineering talent to implement and run the technology.
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