Quick Summary
Additional Context
After years in which the additive manufacturing (AM) industry gained a reputation for its hype outpacing its performance, an interesting development has emerged recently. In certain market segments, at least, the reality has started to reflect the forecasts. While there’s much we can learn, for instance, from how AM adoption has proceeded in the defense sector throughout this decade, it is nonetheless the way that the product has finally begun to fit the market which is perhaps the most instructive takeaway.
Of course, it’s unfortunate that this lesson’s demonstration comes alongside multiple active military conflicts, but this is entirely in-line with how industry has transformed throughout the long, combined histories of technology and war. A nation’s defense industrial base rarely emba