研究機構IDC最新全球3D列印市場支出追蹤半年報指出，2016年相關市場支出將達159億美元(約合新台幣4977億元)，並以24.1%的年複合成長率增加，2020年將達到354億美元(約合新台幣1.11兆元)。
IDC表示，儘管3D印表機與相關耗材將占去市場大半，但3D列印相關軟體服務成長卻更為強勁。電腦輔助設計(CAD)軟體預計在5年後規模將達現今的3倍之多，隨需零件列印服務的成長速度也相去不遠。
3D列印市場最大的應用領域，將以汽車相關設計領域中的快速原型機列印為最，2016年將達40億美元規模，其次則是航太國防零部件列印，規模達24億美元，而牙材列印亦成長不錯。
若以產業別來看，由於原型機與零部件列印的應用案例最多，因此離散製造業自然成為3D列印最大客戶，在2016年佔市場總支出的56%。IDC表示，隨著製造業減少生產週期與控制原型機製造成本等誘因，3D列印在未來數年仍將快速成長，推出3D列印產品的公司也將會顯著增加。
在今年 3 月份的時候，惠普提出要解決 3D 印表機的兩個令人詬病的問題，一是列印速度慢，看著就像等冰融化一樣，第二精度低、品質差。
如今惠普帶來了憋了許久的新技術 Multi Jet Fusion，宣稱可以有十倍的速度提升，且精度更高，列印的顏色比任何一台競爭對手的產品都準，而且要準很多。惠普丟出狠話，打算為整個產業帶來革命，他們這項技術初期應用於企業級客戶，未來不排除也推出消費級產品。
HP 還展示了一個影片，列印出的一個掛鉤可以掛起一輛車，這個掛鉤列印用時不到 30 分鐘，重量 113g，可掛起 4.5 噸重的物體。影片中的車重量 1.1 噸，看起來掛鉤毫不費力，在硬度上令人驚嘆，這有望在製造業受到青睞。
惠普還展示了實機，但是要等到 2016 年才上市。在不久前，惠普宣佈拆分成 HP Enterprise 和 HP Inc. 兩家獨立的上市公司。前者專注於企業級的 IT 解決方案、基礎設施以及軟體和雲端服務。後者將包括惠普傳統的兩大硬體業務，PC 和列印。分拆將在 2015 年 10 月底前完成。
在印表機市場，惠普有著近半數的市場，是產業第一大廠，在商用和消費領域有著很強的口碑。藉助這些口碑和企業客戶關係，推廣 3D 印表機應該不是難事。現在主要看企業的需求，目前較為成熟的市場是工業設計、結構設計以及教育市場，部分製造業也有 3D 印表機的應用。
HP wants to drive the "next industrial revolution" and spark a change in the way products are manufactured with its new 3D printers.
The company's first 3D printers will ship later this year, said Cathie Lesjak, chief financial officer for HP, speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference this week.
HP first announced 3D printers in 2014, and is now preparing for the big launch. HP is looking to hire materials experts, mechanical engineers, managers and sales people for its push into 3D printing.
HP has a rich history in printing and is entering a 3D printing market that, over the past 20-plus years, has been marred by support and technology problems. HP wants to make 3D printing quicker, cheaper and faster for businesses.
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| 3D printing PCB |
The technology offers several advantages for businesses. Instead of using multiple machines to make a product, businesses will be able to use a single 3D printer to make parts, Lesjak said.
Companies will be able to cut manufacturing costs by making products in-house. With the ability to print parts when needed, companies don't have to worry about holding excess inventory, she said.
The HP printer will support advanced inks and materials. It will also use design rules and precision production methods typically applied to integrated circuit manufacturing.
HP's 3D printing technology has its basis in the company's PageWide commercial printing technology. PageWide uses special inks for faster document printing, and will likely expand to include new ink and material for 3D printing.
The excitement around 3D printing peaked in 2014, but has since died down. The stock prices of companies like Stratasys - which owns MakerBot - and 3D Systems have plummeted as those companies focused on the consumer market. That recent history is one reason why HP wants to focus exclusively on the commercial market, Lesjak said.
GE buys two 3D printing companies at $1.4 billion
A Swedish and a German company join the fold to make industrial components. On Tuesday, General Electric announced that it would spend $1.4 billion (~£1 billion) to acquire two European 3D printing companies—Arcam AB from Sweden and SLM Solutions Group from Germany. According to the Associated Press, GE spent $1.5 billion (~£1.1 billion) on 3D printing investments since 2010, meaning the acquisitions will double what the company has invested in the last five years.
In a press release, GE noted that Arcam “invented the electron beam melting machine for metal-based additive manufacturing and also produces advanced metal powders.” SLM Solutions, on the other hand, “produces laser machines for metal-based additive manufacturing.” Both companies have histories of doing business in the aerospace and healthcare industries, and SLM Solutions also has customers in the energy and automotive industries.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, GE’s CEO of Aviation David Joyce said that GE’s jet engine business has been the primary outlet for so-called additive manufacturing at the company, but it plans to use 3D printing more frequently in its power turbine and medical equipment businesses.
“GE said it expected to purchase about 1,000 new 3-D printing machines over the next decade,” the WSJ notes. “By bringing the two firms in-house, GE says it could cut costs by $3 billion to $5 billion across the company, since the technology could reduce design and material costs.” Eventually, GE could potentially become a supplier of industrial 3D printing machines and materials with these acquisitions.
3D printing is favored in certain kinds of industrial production—it can be used to create parts that are much lighter than molded or cast parts. At the same time, it can also take longer for a 3D printer to make parts than a more traditional process would take, meaning that many companies employ 3D printing at a prototyping stage but dispense with it for production-ready items. GE has said it hopes to make 3D printing faster by at least two to three times over the next few years, according to the WSJ.
In a press release, GE noted that Arcam “invented the electron beam melting machine for metal-based additive manufacturing and also produces advanced metal powders.” SLM Solutions, on the other hand, “produces laser machines for metal-based additive manufacturing.” Both companies have histories of doing business in the aerospace and healthcare industries, and SLM Solutions also has customers in the energy and automotive industries.
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| 3D printing parts for GE |
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, GE’s CEO of Aviation David Joyce said that GE’s jet engine business has been the primary outlet for so-called additive manufacturing at the company, but it plans to use 3D printing more frequently in its power turbine and medical equipment businesses.
“GE said it expected to purchase about 1,000 new 3-D printing machines over the next decade,” the WSJ notes. “By bringing the two firms in-house, GE says it could cut costs by $3 billion to $5 billion across the company, since the technology could reduce design and material costs.” Eventually, GE could potentially become a supplier of industrial 3D printing machines and materials with these acquisitions.
3D printing is favored in certain kinds of industrial production—it can be used to create parts that are much lighter than molded or cast parts. At the same time, it can also take longer for a 3D printer to make parts than a more traditional process would take, meaning that many companies employ 3D printing at a prototyping stage but dispense with it for production-ready items. GE has said it hopes to make 3D printing faster by at least two to three times over the next few years, according to the WSJ.
趨勢分析
- 由於3D列印技術大幅進步，3D列印技術將至應用成長期，各產業應用將產生革命；
- 研究機構IDC最新全球3D列印市場支出追蹤半年報指出，2016年相關市場支出將達159億美元(約合新台幣4977億元)，並以24.1%的年複合成長率增加，2020年將達到354億美元(約合新台幣1.11兆元)。
- 對台灣產業影響很大，因為台灣小量多樣產業產值是超過 3000億以上，台灣需抓住這機會產生新的業產創新與成長，如3D列印機器人、客製3D列印產品等等。
