Like other tech companies and startups, additive manufacturing – aka 3D printing – benefited greatly from an influx of capital in 2020-2021. Over the past two years, several 3D printing companies have gone public, raised large funding rounds, been acquired, or merged with other companies in an effort to further scale their businesses. However, the recent decline in valuations of public 3D printing companies is raising some questions about the market potential of the technology.

Recently, a client came to us wanting to reverse engineer and 3D print an automotive trim clip for certain models of Mercedes-Benz’s. The original injection molded parts are no longer being produced yet there are still car enthusiasts that need them for restoration purposes.

While there are some clear near-term drawbacks to 3D printing structures, much can and will be improved or eliminated through continued innovation. The speed at which buildings can be erected using far less manual labor clears two major drawbacks of conventional construction. Beyond 3D printing concrete structures, there are still plenty of other existing applications for the technology within the architecture, engineering, and construction industries.