“Identifying current and future application areas, existing

industrial value chains and missing competences in the EU, in

the area of additive manufacturing (3D printing)”
IDEA Consult (leader), AIT, VTT (lead partners), CECIMO (sub-contractor)

Report prepared for the European Commission, Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry,
Entrepreneurship and SMEs and commissioned by the Executive Agency for SMEs (EASME) in the framework of
the Work Programme 2014 of the EU Programme for the Competitiveness of enterprises and SMEs (COSME).

September 2016
 ?
1. “Identifying key current and
emerging (including future)
application areas in the field
of AM;

2. Reconstructing the underlying

value chains at the regional Project Overview
level by identifying and
positioning relevant European
players;

3. Identifying missing
competences with regard to
applications with a promising
potential as well as
collaboration opportunities
to overcome the current and
upcoming barriers to AM
deployment in their respect.”
1. Patent analysis
2. FP-funded projects analysis
3. Publications/bibliometric analysis Quantitative and Qualitative Analyses
4. Desk Research (incl. Literature
Review)
 Patent analysis
Company Total No. of published Company Total No. of published
1990-2013 patents 2014-2015 patents
3D Systems Inc 39 Rolls-Royce 11
Stratasys Inc 37 Samsung Electronics Co Ltd 11
Massachusetts Inst. Tech 30 Honeywell International Inc. 10
Hewlett-Packard Co 26 Stratasys Inc 8
Hitachi Chem. Co Ltd 26 Airbus 7
Matsushita Electric Works Ltd 24 BAE Systems PLC 7
Therics Inc 23 Materialise N.V. 7
Materialise NV 22 Alstom Technology Ltd 6
Objet Ltd 20 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY 6
Panasonic Corp 20 Panasonic Corporation 6
IBM Corp 19 DSM IP Assets B.V. 5
The Boeing Co 19 Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation 5
Mimaki Engg Co Ltd 17 LG Chem, Ltd. 5
3Shape A/S 15 Michelin 5
Dainippon Printing Co Ltd 15 SNECMA 5
Source: 3D Printing: Technology Insight Report (2014)¸ Gridlogics Technologies Source: EPO, Calculation by AIT
 EU Projects: Participations by country

Source: EUPRO database, CORDIS database, calculation by AIT

 EU Projects: Top Organisations

Source: EUPRO database, CORDIS database, calculation by AIT

Bibliometric analysis
Main research activities in in
3D printing and additive
manufacturing
Source: Web of Science,
calculations by AIT

Some European companies

Selective laser metling:
EADS, Eurocoating, Inspire,
LayerWise, Bosch, Siemens, SLM
Biomedical implants:
3D Syst LayerWise , 3T RPD, Avio
SpA, Implantcast, LayerWise, Lima
Corp, SLM, Simpleware
Additive manufacturing misc.:
Airbus, EADS
3D Bioprinting:
NanotecMARIN
 1. Surgical planning
2. Plastic-based car interior
components
3. Metallic structural parts for
airplane
4. Inert and hard implants
5. Metal AM for injection
Molding Eye on 10 European AM Value Chains
6. Spare parts for machines
7. Lighting and other home
decoration products
8. 3D-printed textiles
9. Affordable houses
10. 3D-printed confectionery

About 150 relevant papers reviewed + Desk Researches + used to draft a 1st version of the SAM (12 sectors + misc, 66 apps) + ID of 70 key regions
 10 Value chains investigated
Surgical
planning in-depth (1/2)

Plastic-based Metal AM for

car interior injection
components molding

Metallic
structural Hard and inert
parts for implants
airplane
 Spare
10 Value chains
All the value chain is currently at an early stage of
development: no clear supply chain could be identified
beyond specific (and/or isolated) cases; However, finishing
parts for investigated in-depth
and post-processing capabilities remain to be developed
(surface finition is key to this application area).
machines
(2/2)
Research and Technology Organisations performing research on particular segments and at
all levels of the value chain (materials, processes…)

Lighting
and other Manufacturing of 3D- Robotics
Affordable Printers
home
Houses Construction End
decoration Provision of raw material Architects
sector user
products AM and other
Software design
Service Providers

Other value chains (Space, Offshore, Defense) with which collaborations are starting

Research and Technology Organisations performing research on particular segments and at

all levels of the value chain (materials, processes…)
3D-
Printed 3D-Printed
Textiles Confectionary Manufacturing of 3D food
printers
Retailers

End user
Raw material suppliers
Food manufacturers
Where are we? Europe AM capabilities
are mature and
(highly) competitive

4 ex. of BARRIERS
Key missing capabilities • Technical (size)
• Material
1. High-end metal-based • Knowledge and skills
material capabilities • Post-processing Competition from USA,
(transformative Japan, Israel, China
capabilities: titanium,
aluminum,
magnesium);
4 ex. of BARRIERS
2. Post-processing
• AM Cost
segment (Hot Isostatic
• Competition
Pressing = absent; New areas to emerge:
• Technical (cooling
finishing = to be
channels) new materials, new
developed).
• Insufficient demand tech, new business
from OEMs models, etc.
 Collaboration opportunities: examples
Selected key insights Accross value chains: Space, Defense, Automotive
Along value chain: GKN, Google, etc.

• Fragmented landscape:
• West: Bavaria, Baden-Wurttemberg but
also North Rhine-Westphalia, Ile-de-
France, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, United
Kingdom, Piemonte, Lombardy, Ireland
Emilia-Romagna, Sweden, Finland,
Norway, South Netherlands, Flanders, Accross value chains: all other manufacturing value
Wallonia, Upper Austria, Asturias, chains (Auto, etc.) through demand/supply
Cataluña Along value chain: collaborations of Mold Makers with
• East: Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia, RTOs, service providers and printer manufacturers
and the Czech Republic

• Status
• Importance of (large) lead-users
Accross value chains: smart textiles, health, security, car
• Nascent disruption (various maturity upholestry, fashion, etc.
levels) Along value chain: designers & OEMs
• Emerging/future applications
• Potential for cross-regional collaboration

Accross value chains: healthcare, packaging, etc.

Along value chain: Research centres and food industry
Policy implications regarding main themes such as:

1. Human Resources (skills, info., etc.)

2. Technology (RTDI areas, IPR, standardisation, etc.)
3. Missing or under-developed capabilities
4. Market uptake and latest TRL stages
5. Demand side
Policy implications
 Biodegradable materials
• HR  Composite materials
• Skills + multi-disciplinary curricula (CAD, materials,
management, etc.).  Diagnostics and sensoring
• EU Member States, EU coordinates.  Digital Design / CAD
• Awareness raising (engineers, technicians, R&D and company  Hybrid manufacturing
managers, consumers and end-users).  Large parts printing
• EU to streamline  Material feedstock
• Tech  Materials explosivity
• R&D support (incl. experiments and prototyping) to all areas  Materials toxicity
(size of parts, efficiency, etc.), collaborative to the extent  Metal material properties
possible.  Processes
• Regional, national and European government levels.
 AM efficiency
• Combination of subtractive and additive methods as a key
development field  Health impacts
• Streamline all standardization and certification efforts  Multi-material printing
• EU  Quality monitoring and control
• EU Fab Labs to be used as test beds.  Recycled materials
• Regions, MS and EU  Cellulose fibres
• IPR enforcement.  Software development
• EU and MS  Etc.
 Policy implications
• Initiate/develop missing capabilities (all levels) • Stimulate demand (through integrators,
• Facilitate the access to critical materials (titanium, aluminum, consumers, etc.)
magnesium, etc.) and related transformative capabilities:
• Market intelligence; • Co-invest in the testing and acquisition of
• Business development conditions; printers.
• Capacity development through co-investment (in transformative
processes for instance); • Set up a common repository, streamlined
• Support to the qualification and standardization of the materials; information
• Urban mining. • EU must take the lead
• Develop
• Finishing / Hot Isostatic Pressing (metal AM). • Support User platforms (financially,
• 1) simulation and 2) testing. especially in Eastern EU) and Fab Labs
• New business models, incl. platform-based ones. • Clarify regulation as to scale-up living lab
• Accelerate AM deployment experiments into real commercial products
• Support:
• Cross-regional pilot & demonstration activities (Wire-based and hybrid
systems, etc.)
• joint actions and collaborations (case-by-case/ one-stop-shop(s))
• EU = network/coordination role
• Cross-value chain fertilization through emerging collaborations
(defense, automotive, space, aeronautics, transports; textiles
and others)
• EU = network/coordination role
THANKS !
 ANNEXES

Selected examples of regional capabilities and barriers

Regional capabilities: example of the AM structural
components for airplanes value chain
• Leading regions include:
• Materials: North Rhine-Westphalia, Flanders, Bavaria, North Holland, Auvergne, Cheshire
• Service providers: Flanders, Ile-de-France, Burgundy, Baden-Württemberg, Midi-Pyrénées
• Printer manufacturers: Västergötland, ‎Staffordshire, Schleswig-Holstein, Bavaria (!)
• RTOs: Sør-Trøndelag, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hamburg - Low Saxony, Bavaria, Hesse, Rhône-
Alpes, South Holland, Ile-de-France, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Cranfield, Sheffield and
Manchester
• Tier suppliers: Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie, Piemonte/(Liguria), Ile-de-France, Piemonte
• Integrators: Midi-Pyrénées, Piemonte, Bavaria, Northern Ireland, Rhône-Alpes, Ile-de-France
and Masovian Voivodeship
• Missing or under-developped capabilities:
• Powder supply of aluminum and titanium
• Hot isostatic processing
• To a larger extent post-processing, finishing and post-printing treatment
• NDT (Non Destructive Testing) techniques
• Wire-based technologies: 1) absence of commercial systems and 2) software to enable
building of parts
Regional capabilities: example of the AM Injection Molding value
chain
• Leading regions include:
• Software: Flanders, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Central Region, Scotland
• Materials: North Rhine-Westphalia, North Rhine-Westphalia, Flanders, Skåne,
Cheshire
• Printer manufacturers: Warwickshire, ‎Staffordshire, Schleswig-Holstein, Bavaria,
Baden-Württemberg, Auvergne
• Mold makers: North Rhine-Westphalia, All EU regions.
• Service providers: Flanders, Scotland, Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, Northern
Ireland, Rhône Alpes, Ile-de-France
• End-users: Jutland, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Baden-Wurttemberg, Rhône-
Alpes, and All other mold users (potentially all EU regions)
• RTOs: Wallonia, Rhône-Alpes, Leiria, ‎Uusimaa, Moravia, Sør-Trøndelag, Bavaria,
Hesse, South Holland, Ile-de-France, North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg,
Zürich, Flanders, Franche-Comté
• Missing or under-developped capabilities:
• Printing capabilities (buy printers)
• Powder supply: titanium and aluminum.
Barriers: 2 value chain examples

Structural Components for Airplanes

Rising competition from composite materials; heavy
regulations; lengthy development plans; the lack of
knowledge and skills; the need for common
standards and further characterization of AM
materials and processes; missing knowledge (about
health and security implications of AM); scalability
issues; poor quality and surface finishing; the lack of
detection, monitoring and control of surfaces; the
lack of transformation capabilities in Europe and the Injection Molding
availability of high-class, passivated clean powders, Printers and powders remain expensive (mainly for SMEs) but
including aluminum, magnesium and titanium; the also faces issues such as: skills availability; growing demand
lack of streamlined information and insufficient toward AM system manufacturers; cultural conservatism; lack
awareness. of AM awareness; lack of demonstration activities; lack of multi-
disciplinary curricula; AM technical limitations (cleaning of
cooling channels, printing of large molds, precision and surface
finishing, etc.); insufficient qualification and certification of AM
materials and processes; transformative capabilities in the field
of metal powders; players standing as bottlenecks in the field of
metal powders; fear of having companies’ designs stolen;
development of internal AM capabilities in client companies;
little bargaining power of SMEs; international competition
coming from plastics and composite materials.