Industry research firm SmarTech Analysis has released its latest report on post-processing in the additive manufacturing industry, Post-processing for Additive Manufacturing: Market Analysis and Forecasts, and the report shows that the critical role of post-processing will stimulate a multi-billion dollar over the next decade market.
Today, the polymer postprocessing industry brings in more than $145 million annually, with automotive being its largest market, while the metal postprocessing market size is estimated at $175 million in 2022, with 3D printing in aerospace as the Pilot. Both segments are growing due to the increasing demand for post-processing for almost all 3D printing operations and the maturation of post-processing technologies for various additive manufacturing printing modalities.
Based on this, SmarTech predicts that post-processing for additive manufacturing will reach $1.8 billion by 2031 over the ten-year forecast period covered by the report. Additionally, at least 26% of the total estimate corresponds to the polymer post-processing market, while the remainder is attributed to the larger metal post-processing market.
Post-processing includes a series of operations after any part is printed, this can include cleaning, coloring, surface preparation, curing, heat treatment, and other manufacturing operations. This means that once a part is in post-processing, the quality of automation inherent in the 3D printing process often tends to become a manual operation, with significant implications for quality, cost, and time. However, SmarTech believes that post-processing is no longer a barrier to the adoption or expanded use of 3D printing.
Conversely, the impact of changing workforce dynamics has led to automation trends within the industry to minimize required labor while increasing overall throughput for high-volume applications. The same goes for postprocessing today. Part of the reason for the growing popularity of post-processing is automated fitting, which has myriad advantages, including reducing overall errors. Post-processing will prosper as more verticals embrace 3D printing.
In the report, post-processing is described as a unique sector that generates broad future revenue for the 3D printing industry. Additionally, as 3D printing becomes the manufacturing method of choice for mass-produced products, post-processing solutions offer a growing market that can be fully integrated into the supply chain.
In the 3D printing service, JR also provides various post-processing services for customers, such as Bead Sandblasting, Anodizing, Powder coating, Painting, Alodine / passivation, zinc plating, silk printing, Laser etching, Polishing, Teflon finish, Chrome plating, etc.