MT Magazine March/April 2026

FEATURE STORY

16

THE STATE OF ADDITIVE ISSUE

AM capabilities for solid-fuel propulsion parts. This is support not for the general promise of additive, but for a needed and transformative additive win. Watching the Point Tally This “purpose-driven” model is one of the ways we see recent developments, and it is a framework we will continue to evaluate as we view future developments. Additive manufacturing might now be seen as a point solution, flourishing wherever it connects with an application that is so right for it that there is no way back once additive succeeds. Such applications generally feature some combination of challenging materials, geometric complexity, manufacturing simplification, and cost or time savings – so that additive delivers some set of these advantages all at once. Most parts and most applications do not offer this kind of opportunity. But in those applications that seem “made for additive,” additive pours in to practically fill the opportunity space. Today’s most successful AM technology providers seem to be those that have found, or are finding, these applications. That is, they are the providers of purpose-driven AM for additive manufacturing’s point solutions. Fortunately for additive, these point solutions seem to be plentiful. We mentioned a few: acetabular cups, server cooling systems, and solid-fuel rocket parts. Add to this list: spine implants, spacecraft components, firearm suppressors, and dental aligners. The points add up. In the months to come, and more so in the years to come, we

should watch for the advance of additive manufacturing to take this form. Some wins will lead to adjacent wins in the same space. But the larger steps in AM adoption will come point by point as additive finds new, targeted, breakthrough successes. As the list of wins today suggests, these applications are not necessarily connected. One win does not predict where the next win will be found. Instead, each technology advance in any of the 17 additive processes might offer the final step needed for a new transformative application. Additive will advance in this way as one new application after another comes to light, redefining the possibilities and offering the winning choice from that point forward. Tracking these wins is part of the ongoing work of AMT’s Research Services team. This spring, AMT will release its Additive Manufacturing Report, one of AMT’s new State of Manufacturing Pillar Reports. Drawing on industry data and market intelligence, the report identifies where additive is delivering meaningful production wins, and is intended to help manufacturers evaluate how additive could be integrated into their workflows. Additional State of Manufacturing Pillar Reports focused on Automation & Robotics, AI & Digitalization, and Manufacturing Outlook will follow later this year.

If you have any questions about this article, please contact Kevin at kbowers@AMTonline.org.

Fabric8Labs has an additive manufacturing process tailored to copper and well-suited to scale production of precise components for the electronics industry. It offers a transformative solution for creating thermal management hardware for data centers. (Image courtesy of Fabric8Labs.)