Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, has gained momentum in India, especially after Covid 19 pandemic when most industries faced supply chain disruptions. 3D printing allows companies to break centralised manufacturing facility into smaller production hubs that can be set up closer to the market.

During the peak of Covid 19 outbreak, when there was severe shortage of several key medical equipment (like face shields and ventilator valves), many 3D printing start-ups collaborated with product makers to manufacture these medical devices. Earlier, the automotive sector was the biggest user of 3D printing, accounting for up to 70% of all demand. Now, demand for 3D printing is stronger in other sectors such as pharmaceuticals, jewellery, defence, aerospace, fast-moving consumer goods and construction.

AM industry has evolved from being a prototyping technology to end-use production, with metal AM leading the course. Rapid growth of additive manufacturing can be attributed to various factors, such as ease of manufacturing complex designs with 3D printing, development of new and improved technologies, and increasing government funding in AM.

Against this background, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recently released a “National Strategy on Additive Manufacturing” to increase India’s share in global AM to 5 per cent within the next three years, with hopes that it could likely add $ 1 billion to the gross domestic product by that time. According to the market research firm Statista, the global 3D printing products and services market was valued at $ 12.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17 per cent between 2020 and 2023. India’s 3D printing industry accounts for just 1.4 per cent of the global spending, while the US is the leader with a 36 per cent share, followed by the EU at 26 per cent and China at 14 per cent.

Additive manufacturing has immense potential to revolutionise India’s manufacturing and industrial production landscape through digital processes, communication, imaging, architecture and engineering. At present, 80-85% of the equipment used in 3D printing machines and materials is imported. MeitY's AM policy plans to build eco-system for creation of nearly 100 new start-ups, 10 AM sectors and 50 Indian AM technologies on material, machine, process and software. Manufacturing 3D printers, calibrating them and building embedded software require a fair bit of initial investment. For start-ups, 3D printing is far more expensive compared with other segments. Therefore, the scale that the government is targeting to reach could not be achieved through start-up hubs alone. It will require support from big companies (local or global) to achieve the goal.

To encourage mass adoption of AM to boost the 3D printing ecosystem in India, the government will have to announce incentives as part of the national strategy.

At 3i EXPO 2022 (held from May 20-21, 2022, in Mumbai), industry experts will discuss the roadmap of additive manufacturing and other digital solutions (like AI, IoT, Digital Twin, etc) to achieve the true potential of the Indian manufacturing sector. Be there to witness the revolution.

For more details on 3i EXPO, visit https://3iexpo.com/ or simply scan the QR Code below.