Fiber-reinforced polymer 3D printing is rapidly approaching a commercial tipping point. In the next ten years, the market will grow to 2 billion U.S. dollars (approximately 13 billion RMB), equipment installations and applications will expand, and technology will continue to mature. However, growth is accompanied by challenges, the establishment of production, supply chain and digital infrastructure, and the number of manufacturers urgently need to be integrated.
Technology and material analysis
IDTechEx’s latest market report “3D printed composite materials 2021-2031″ mentioned that most of the fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) market is dominated by glass fiber and carbon fiber thermoplastics. This is not a new technology, but based on The entire 3D printing industry is on top of the development, and it takes time to develop and reach the point of commercial maturity. There are a variety of 3D printing composite material methods on the market, mainly around materials (continuous fibers and chopped fibers; thermoplastic and thermosetting) and suitable for industrial organizations , Desktop printer features for professional consumers or hobbyists.
Overview of polymer composites.
The core of the industry is material, which determines the attributes of parts and printer requirements, and is also a key part of the business model. For many people, continuous fiber composites have important value, but short fiber composites and a series of thermoplastics and thermosetting resins also have great opportunities.
Many strategic partnerships are being established between emerging hardware manufacturers and major chemical companies, as well as activities between chemical companies, such as BASF’s acquisition of the Owens Corning production line in 2020. In addition, some companies have directly entered this field by introducing filaments or other composite materials. A typical example is Braskem’s entry into this field with recycled carbon fiber reinforced PP.
The latest developments in the industry
Most of the activities in the field of 3D printing composites are concentrated in the United States. Since the end of 2020, Markforged has announced new materials, printers and distribution partners, and announced plans to go public. This allowed the company to release a large amount of funds to promote growth and mergers and acquisitions, and became the subject of patent infringement lawsuits filed by Continuous Composites. Desktop Metal, which has the same historical status as Markforged, used Fiber products for the first time at the end of 2019 and launched 3D printed composite materials. However, major emerging players are appearing in Europe and Asia, and are gradually joining the increasingly fierce market.
What is the market outlook?
IDTechEx predicts that by 2031, the total revenue of the 3D printed composites market will reach US$2 billion from a small amount in 2021. Although the epidemic has had a great impact on the global market, the use of 3D printers has recovered fairly quickly, and it will develop in the direction of accelerating the distributed supply chain of 3D printing.
Although the number of installations of composite 3D printers is much less than that of polymer printers, the future growth trend is very obvious. Existing polymer printers can usually use some composite materials, but the loading percentage is very low and there are some limitations. The ever-increasing installed scale will bring considerable follow-up sales income of materials, software and services, which will quickly exceed hardware sales.
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Post time: Aug-11-2021