How SMEs can benefit from 3D printing

In the manufacturing industry, additive manufacturing processes are already considered a valuable addition to conventional industrial manufacturing processes. At the same time, they offer the potential to establish themselves as an alternative form of production. On the one hand, their great freedom of design and precision make them suitable for the development of prototypes. On the other hand, technological progress and the rapid development of new processes mean that series production using additive manufacturing is also becoming economically viable.

How SMEs can benefit

Additive manufacturing processes also offer a wide range of resource efficiency potential, particularly for SMEs: building up material in layers can reduce the amount of waste. And the ability to create complex geometries also reduces the need for expensive special tools and molds. These advantages not only promote sustainability, but also increase the competitiveness of SMEs in an increasingly environmentally-oriented market.

However, additive manufacturing processes not only represent opportunities and potential for SMEs, but are also associated with challenges. This is where the new brief analysis "Resource efficiency through additive manufacturing" from VDI ZRE comes in.

Opportunities and potential of additive manufacturing

The brief analysis first provides a short introduction to additive manufacturing technologies. It shows, for example, how their use can improve material utilization and thus contribute to waste reduction or enable more precise and efficient production. The brief analysis then examines the areas of the company for which additive manufacturing can bring significant benefits in terms of resource utilization.

Business models such as on-demand production allow companies to benefit from reduced inventories, for example, while the use and loss of materials in product development and production in particular can be minimized. In a brief digression, the short analysis also describes how additive manufacturing technologies can be used in the construction industry to use materials more efficiently and contribute to resource-saving construction practices.

In addition to the potential that additive manufacturing offers for resource-efficient production, the brief analysis also sheds light on how the additive manufacturing process itself can be made more resource-efficient. Particular attention is paid to starting points such as material selection, the required use of energy and the improved use of workspace in the manufacturing process.

The brief analysis "Resource efficiency through additive manufacturing" by VDI ZRE was commissioned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV).