Industry Analysis & Industry Trends
3D printing and rapid prototyping has evolved since its introduction in the late 1980s, especially in more recent years as technology advances and companies demand more of these services. Despite some hard times during the recession, the industry has largely recovered and seen positive average growth since 2007. As prices decline and a greater variety of materials is used, demand will likely expand. Profit margins are expected to expand, even in the face of increasing competition in this growing industry.... purchase to read more
Industry Report - Industry Products Chapter
The 3D Print and Rapid Prototyping Services industry provides a wide variety of additive manufacturing technology services to cater to their broad range of consumer markets.
Selective laser sintering
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is additive manufacturing technology that uses a software process to mathematically slice and orient a model for building. FDM is different from SLS in that many processes require support structures for the model building process. After a support structure is generated, thermoplastics are heated, melted and then deposited by a nozzle. The nozzle follows a path outlined via CAD file and layers materials with varying thicknesses from the bottom up. Noz... purchase to read more