3D printing technologies market to exceed US$3 billion in 2014

Reportlinker.com has added the 3D Printing Technologies Market Report 2014-2019 to its catalogue. The May 2014 report by Visiongain calls 3D printing a game changer for manufacturing processes across every major industry. 

Although it took over two decades for the technology to rise to more widespread acclaim and prominence, 3D printing is now considered as a revolutionary new method of manufacturing, Visiongain notes, calculates that the 3D printing technologies market will reach US$3.32 billion in 2014.

Subtractive manufacturing has traditionally been the norm: cutting, drilling, or stripping away at a larger whole to produce a smaller item. By contrast, the value proposition of additive manufacturing (AM) is to build products literally from the ground up using raw materials, thereby eliminating waste and reducing overall production costs. Houses, automobile chassis, even live tissue can be 3D printed.