The 3D printing sector is undergoing a "reset"
The Atomic Layers: S10E29 (00296)
Atomic Layer of the Day:
Today's newsletter is a bit different – in a way, we’re featuring a guest appearance.
And my (and your) guests are my friends from Germany – Johannes Lutz and Torsten Wolschendorf, creators of the Next Gen AM podcast and two prominent figures in the German 3D printing industry.
In the latest episode of their podcast, Johannes and Torsten engage in an honest discussion about the current state of the 3D printing industry. The episode, titled “Reset in the 3D Printing Market: Between Hype, Reality, and a Return to Honesty,” aligns 1:1 with the themes of my own articles – the need for a fundamental reevaluation of our approach to additive manufacturing technologies.
The duo explores why an industry that just a few years ago was riding a wave of massive enthusiasm is now experiencing a period of stagnation and even retreat. Their core message: it’s time to move away from exaggerated marketing promises and focus instead on delivering real customer value.
Lutz and Wolschendorf argue that the 3D printing sector is undergoing a "reset."
After years of rapid development and grand promises about revolutionizing manufacturing, the time has come for a sober assessment of reality.
Many technologies have failed to meet expectations, and genuine innovation has become rarer. Instead of breakthroughs, the industry is seeing stagnation and uncertainty.
One of the main issues is the gap between what companies promise and what they actually deliver. For years, 3D printing was sold as a transformative industrial technology, yet in many cases, there was no clear business value. As the podcast hosts aptly state:
“A 3D-printed part without expected benefit or function is just a display object.”
In other words, simply having the ability to print parts is not enough – those parts must deliver tangible benefits, such as cost savings, shorter production times, or increased efficiency.
Another example – my “favorite advantage” of AM – is the ability to print geometrically complex parts that… are only needed once in every tens of thousands of cases.
Although 3D printing has found success in niche applications (e.g., aerospace and medicine), mainstream manufacturing still lacks scalable solutions for serial production.
Lutz and Wolschendorf criticize the fact that too much emphasis is placed on research and prototyping, and too little on practical applications in factory settings.
The duo calls for a shift away from aggressive marketing and toward honesty.
They suggest that sellers should sometimes advise against buying a 3D printer if it isn’t the best solution for the client. This kind of approach builds trust and long-term business relationships.
Too many companies sell printers but fail to provide the necessary implementation support. This leads to situations where machines sit unused and customers end up disappointed.
Lutz and Wolschendorf propose that manufacturers and distributors should take greater responsibility for implementation, offering end-to-end support – from technology selection to process optimization.
Rather than boasting about print speed or resolution, the industry should showcase concrete case studies with measurable outcomes. Customers need to see how 3D printing can lower their costs, increase production flexibility, or shorten time-to-market.
And finally, the most important point: Lutz and Wolschendorf emphasize that the future of the industry doesn’t lie in the next breakthrough technology, but in better utilization of existing ones.
For 3D printing to become widespread in manufacturing, processes need to be stabilized, standardized, and better integrated with traditional manufacturing methods.
Johannes Lutz is the managing director of 3D Industrie and previously the founder of Mark3D – a leading European distributor of industrial 3D printers. Since 2019, through 3D Industrie, he has been helping medium-sized companies enter the AM space. Lutz is the author of the book “3D Printing Professional Knowledge” and hosts a weekly podcast on 3D printing.
Torsten Wolschendorf is managing director of PROTOTEC, a leading industrial 3D printing service provider specializing in additive manufacturing from prototypes to series production. He is also managing director at Paul GmbH.
You can find both companies featured in our The 3D Printing World Guide – German Edition:
🎧 The podcast is available on all major streaming platforms:
Atomic Layer from the Past:
05-29-2018: Ilan Levin resigned as CEO of Stratasys.
News & Gossip:
PyroGenesis’ Ti64 coarse metal powder has been qualified by Boeing for additive manufacturing use. Produced via the patented NexGen plasma atomisation process, the powder ranges from 53–150µm in size. This milestone affirms PyroGenesis’ position as a top-tier metal powder supplier after nearly a decade in the AM sector.
nTop has launched nTop Fluids, a GPU-powered CFD solution integrated with its design platform, following its acquisition of cloudfluid. Promising 100–1000x faster performance than traditional CPU solvers, it enables rapid iteration without meshing. Early users like NASA and Siemens report transformative improvements in design speed and efficiency.
Fabbaloo reports, that Flashforge is set to launch the Guider 4 series, featuring a 300×300×300 mm build volume, 320°C hot end, 600 mm/s speed, and support for engineering filaments. The Pro model adds a 65°C heated enclosure. Both will support the Intelligent Filament System (IFS) for multi-material printing.
"And finally, the most important point: Lutz and Wolschendorf emphasize that the future of the industry doesn’t lie in the next breakthrough technology, but in better utilization of existing ones."
I would disagree with this.
Sometimes I think about how all of our existing techologies kind of suck, and a new approach will probably be discovered that all but kills everything else.
Maybe that sounds naive, and it's not really something we can plan for, but that would be my prediction.
Things today are just too much of a hassle. Post-processing, failures, manual supporting etc. And in the world of infinite possibilities, surely we will disover more than just the 7 or so approaches we keep iterating on.