Scaling Additive Manufacturing: Strategic Insights from the 2023 Industry Survey

1. Executive Summary

Additive Manufacturing as a Strategic Capability

Additive manufacturing (AM), widely recognized as 3D printing, has emerged as a transformative force in industrial engineering. Once confined to prototyping and early-stage design validation, AM is now progressing toward a robust production methodology capable of fabricating complex, end-use components across sectors such as aerospace, automotive, healthcare, and consumer electronics.

Survey Scope and Findings

The 2023 Jabil survey, encompassing 200 senior decision-makers from multinational organizations, confirms this transition. While prototyping remains nearly ubiquitous (97% usage), more than two-thirds of surveyed firms (67%) now employ AM for functional production parts. Usage for bridge manufacturing (59%) and tooling applications such as jigs and fixtures (58%) continues to expand. These shifts indicate that AM is being integrated more deeply into the product lifecycle.

Despite this progress, the survey identifies substantial challenges. Material availability is the most widely cited constraint (reported by 90% of participants), followed closely by input costs (79%), certification gaps, and digital system integration barriers. These issues inhibit scalable deployment and standardization of additive manufacturing in regulated industries.

Toward Operational Readiness

This white paper examines these developments from both technical and strategic perspectives. It evaluates how material science, process scalability, and organizational strategy shape AM’s maturation. The analysis also reflects evolving market sentiment: while past expectations centered on exponential growth, the current outlook indicates stable, moderate expansion rooted in operational realism.

To unlock the full potential of additive manufacturing, organizations must address barriers in certification, part reliability, and system interoperability. The final section presents RapidMade as a strategic AM solutions partner capable of delivering certified parts, optimized designs, and high-throughput production to support enterprise-scale additive transformation.

2. Introduction: Additive Manufacturing in Industrial Evolution

Historical Context and Technological Maturity

Additive manufacturing is a core enabler of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, integrating digital design workflows, decentralized production capability, and advanced material engineering. Unlike subtractive or formative manufacturing, AM constructs components layer by layer directly from CAD data. This reduces material waste and enables fabrication of geometries that are unachievable through conventional manufacturing.

Initially developed in the 1980s for rapid prototyping, AM’s capabilities have steadily expanded due to improvements in process resolution, material availability, and build envelope size. Technologies such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), selective laser sintering (SLS), and direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) now support high-precision part fabrication across diverse engineering disciplines.

From Design Validation to Production Integration

Historically, AM’s primary use case was limited to prototyping due to material constraints, surface finish limitations, and inconsistent part tolerances. However, innovations in post-processing, thermal control, and multi-material printing have facilitated its migration into production workflows. These advancements allow AM to address low-volume production, late-stage customization, and tooling requirements with greater efficiency than traditional methods.

The current state of AM reflects its expanded application range. It is now routinely used not only for early-stage design iteration but also for producing final-use components, engineering tools, and replacement parts. Its benefits are most pronounced in use cases that demand part consolidation, mass customization, or accelerated design-to-market cycles.

Survey Framework and Demographics

The 2023 Jabil survey aggregates insights from 200 decision-makers involved in AM across engineering, product development, operations, and manufacturing. Participants represent global manufacturing organizations, with 65% employed at companies generating over $5 billion in annual revenue. The study captures a broad range of industries including electronics, aerospace, healthcare, heavy equipment, and transportation.

Unlike earlier surveys, the 2023 data reflect a cohort of participants with significant operational exposure to additive manufacturing. This distinction is crucial, as it influences the depth of insight into both current deployment and projected expansion. The survey’s focus on material usage, production scale, integration barriers, and executive perspectives creates a comprehensive profile of AM’s industrial evolution.

3. Functional Integration of Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing is now functionally embedded across the manufacturing value chain, moving beyond prototyping to support direct production, repair, and tooling operations.

Primary Functional Applications

The 2023 survey identifies six core applications of AM within organizations:

Prototyping: Used by 97% of respondents. AM enables rapid iteration with minimal lead time, significantly shortening product development cycles.
End-Use Production Parts: Employed by 67% of organizations. This figure marks a more than twofold increase from 2017, signifying increased confidence in material and process reliability.
Bridge Production: Utilized by 59%. AM allows companies to produce limited quantities of saleable products before full-scale manufacturing is available, aiding market entry and design finalization.
Jigs, Fixtures, and Tooling: Reported by 58%. These components benefit from AM’s flexibility in form, weight reduction, and quick adaptation to design changes.
Repair and Maintenance (MRO): 53% of firms, especially those with more than 100 in-house printers, use AM for on-demand production of obsolete or customized replacement parts.
R&D Support: AM continues to be a vital tool in early-stage material or structural research.

Lifecycle Impact and Value Delivery

Survey results show AM is having the greatest impact on:

Prototyping (96%)
Design (52%)
Small-Scale Production (27%)

These findings suggest AM delivers the highest value in early-to-mid lifecycle stages, enabling accelerated iteration and design freedom. However, its growing use in low-volume production and repair suggests its role is expanding throughout the product lifecycle.

Cross-Industry Adoption Patterns

Aerospace and Defense: Lightweight, strong components made from titanium and high-performance polymers meet strict qualification requirements.
Medical and Orthopedics: Custom-fitted implants, prosthetics, and surgical guides are now routinely produced using AM technologies with biocompatible materials.
Automotive: Tooling, grippers, and even interior panels are additively manufactured to reduce cost and tooling lead time during model refreshes and short-run production.

Infrastructure Scaling and Operational Roles

The number of printers does not directly dictate AM’s strategic value but does influence application diversity. Organizations with >100 printers are statistically more likely to engage in high-mix, low-volume production, in-house repair workflows, and internal tooling development. These firms demonstrate how AM infrastructure scale supports broader functional deployment.

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4. Material Science: Adoption, Innovation, and Limitations

Material selection lies at the heart of additive manufacturing capability. The success or failure of an AM application often hinges on the availability, performance, and certifiability of the materials used. The 2023 survey data underscore how material science remains both a key enabler and a principal barrier to broader industrial AM adoption.

Material Classifications and Current Usage

Surveyed organizations report widespread use of the following additive material classes:

Plastics/Polymers: Used by 97% of organizations, polymers remain the cornerstone of AM due to their processability, affordability, and versatility. Common materials include PLA, ABS, nylon (PA12), and advanced thermoplastics such as PEEK and ULTEM.
Metals: Utilized by 60% of participants, metals are critical in sectors requiring high strength, thermal stability, and structural integrity. Materials like stainless steel, Inconel, titanium, and aluminum dominate aerospace and automotive applications.
Composites: Reported by 44%, composites combine polymers with reinforcing fibers (carbon, glass, or aramid) to enhance strength-to-weight ratios and stiffness.
Ceramics and Glass: Used by a smaller portion (approximately 14–17%), these are valuable in applications requiring hardness, heat resistance, or dielectric properties.

In terms of material dominance:

66% of respondents use plastics most frequently.
20% report equal use of metals and plastics.
Only 14% identify metals as their primary AM material, due primarily to cost, safety requirements, and certification hurdles.

Emergence of Custom-Engineered Materials

A defining shift is the growing deployment of custom-engineered materials. 66% of surveyed organizations report using internally developed or vendor-formulated materials tailored to specific use cases. These materials are often designed for:

Improved mechanical properties: Higher impact strength, fatigue resistance, or elastic modulus.
Thermal and electrical performance: For applications such as electronics housings, RF shielding, and heat sinks.
Regulatory compliance: Biocompatibility, flame retardance (UL 94 V-0), and chemical resistance.
Surface finish and color control: Important for aesthetic parts and branding-critical applications.

Such materials are especially vital in industries with performance-critical demands. Aerospace engineers may need aluminum alloys with high fracture toughness; orthopedic device manufacturers may require materials with bioinert surfaces and controlled porosity.

Material Certification and Availability Barriers

Despite advancements, access to certified materials remains a serious limitation:

90% of participants report that the materials they need are not currently available.
74% cite cost as a barrier to scaling AM with existing materials.
49% indicate long development timelines for qualifying new material systems.
27% note the absence of certified formulations prevents adoption for regulated products.

The demand for certified metals is especially notable. While 60% of companies currently use metals, a full 96% expressed interest in using certified metal materials if cost and availability improved. This discrepancy signals strong latent demand constrained by regulatory and economic friction.

Implications for Material Supply Chains and R&D

The bottleneck in material availability has led to concentrated R&D efforts in formulation, compounding, and additive feedstock processing. Key innovation areas include:

Binder jetting of low-cost metal powders
Carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics for tooling
Ceramic-resin blends for medical and microelectronic applications
Photopolymer advances in SLA for better isotropic strength

As performance demands increase, manufacturers will need to collaborate closely with materials suppliers, universities, and service bureaus to co-develop next-generation additive feedstocks with validated performance data and certification pathways.

5. Economic and Technical Barriers to Scaling AM

Despite increased adoption and technical progress, additive manufacturing remains constrained by a range of cost, infrastructure, and process-related barriers. These limitations are particularly acute when transitioning from prototyping to production-scale deployment.

Material and System Costs

The most pressing financial hurdle is material expense. In 2023:

79% of respondents identified material cost as the primary financial barrier to AM.
This figure has quadrupled since 2021, reflecting tighter global supply chains and rising demand for performance-grade materials.

Simultaneously:

63% noted that capital expenditure for AM systems is a significant constraint.
Industrial metal printers, powder handling systems, and high-end post-processing equipment often require multimillion-dollar investments.

In polymer AM, although entry-level FDM and SLA systems are affordable, scalable and high-throughput machines (e.g., HP Multi Jet Fusion or Carbon DLS) are expensive and require specialized environments.

Post-Processing and Workflow Complexity

Post-processing steps—support removal, thermal treatment, surface finishing, and quality inspection—add time and cost. These processes often require skilled labor and are not fully automated. According to the survey:

48% of respondents listed post-processing costs as a key barrier.
Part quality concerns dropped from 37% in 2021 to 12% in 2023, indicating progress in machine and process reliability.

Nevertheless, scaling AM requires investments in post-processing standardization, especially for parts requiring tight tolerances, cosmetic surfaces, or regulatory validation.

Integration with Manufacturing Systems

The ability to incorporate AM into broader digital ecosystems—ERP, MES, PLM—remains underdeveloped:

42% of respondents cited difficulties integrating AM workflows with existing enterprise software.
Lack of native AM modules in traditional MES systems hinders traceability, documentation, and scheduling.

This disconnect prevents AM from becoming part of a truly digital, end-to-end production pipeline. Companies must invest in middleware, API development, or AM-specific platforms to close this gap.

Scaling and Workforce Limitations

48% of participants cited scalability as a core challenge.
This reflects difficulties in ensuring consistent output across multiple machines, production shifts, and geographic sites.

Additionally:

29% indicated a shortage of in-house AM expertise.
Engineers trained in conventional manufacturing often lack knowledge in Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM), thermal modeling, and support structure optimization.

Upskilling and talent acquisition will be essential as companies transition from isolated AM use to integrated, multi-functional AM operations.

6. Strategic Leadership Perspectives and Organizational Readiness

Executive recognition and organizational alignment are critical to institutionalizing AM. The 2023 survey reveals growing support from top leadership, but also divergent views on AM’s role in enterprise strategy.

Executive-Level Perception

When asked how top leadership views AM:

55% of respondents indicated that AM is seen as a strategic capability.
40% consider it an alternative production method, not yet central to their business model.
5% view it as not currently relevant, though potentially important in the future.

Compared to previous years, this data reflects increasing strategic alignment. In 2021, only 37% considered AM a strategic capability. The 18-point rise suggests that executives are becoming more informed about AM’s potential role in reducing time-to-market, increasing design agility, and enabling mass customization.

Organizational Readiness

Leadership perception is often mirrored by organizational investment. Companies with >100 printers and dedicated AM teams are more likely to:

Use AM across the entire lifecycle—from R&D to repair
Engage in internal materials R&D or collaborative material development
Expect rapid issue response on production lines via AM (reported by 86% in this group)

By contrast, smaller firms or those with limited AM infrastructure tend to confine its use to prototyping and low-volume experimentation.

Strategic Priorities Moving Forward

For AM to function as a core operational asset, executive teams must drive:

Capital investments in scalable AM infrastructure
Cross-functional integration between engineering, quality, and operations
Vendor relationships focused on certification, material innovation, and supply chain flexibility

Companies with C-suite support and structured implementation frameworks are better positioned to scale AM beyond niche applications into sustained, revenue-generating platforms.

7. Future Outlook: Growth Expectations and Market Stabilization

While early forecasts of additive manufacturing anticipated exponential expansion, the 2023 Jabil survey indicates that expectations have shifted to a more stable, measured growth trajectory. This moderation reflects a maturing industry that is moving from proof-of-concept to embedded capability.

Expectations for AM Utilization Growth

According to the survey:

70% of decision-makers expect a moderate increase in AM usage over the next two to five years.
Only 6% forecast dramatic or exponential growth.
No respondents anticipate a reduction or stagnation in AM use.

These figures suggest a pivot from speculative scaling to pragmatic integration. Companies are no longer exploring whether AM fits into their operations—they are now optimizing how and where it does.

Specific Growth Areas: Production and End-Use Parts

The outlook for production applications is particularly noteworthy:

97% of companies already use AM for functional or end-use components.
62% anticipate moderate growth in production-specific AM.
37% foresee significant or dramatic expansion in this area.

This bifurcation reflects industry-specific readiness. For example:

Aerospace firms are increasingly leveraging qualified metal printing for brackets, housings, and ducting components.
Healthcare companies are expanding the use of custom surgical guides, dental appliances, and orthotics.
Electronics and automotive sectors continue to scale tooling and interior component production.

Stabilization as a Sign of Maturity

Moderated growth forecasts do not signal declining enthusiasm. Rather, they reflect growing familiarity with AM’s strengths and limits. As organizations gain operational experience, their projections become more grounded in validated use cases, regulatory constraints, and supply chain dynamics.

This maturation positions the industry for sustainable adoption, characterized by:

Incremental improvements in machine performance and reliability
Wider availability of certified materials
Increased workforce literacy in AM design and process engineering
Greater alignment between additive and subtractive workflows

8. Call to Action: Solving the AM Scale-Up with RapidMade

The transition from prototyping to production in additive manufacturing is neither automatic nor trivial. It requires specialized equipment, certified materials, process discipline, and deep expertise in both design and manufacturing. Few internal teams can manage this evolution alone, particularly at speed and scale.

This is where RapidMade becomes essential.

Why RapidMade?

RapidMade is a U.S.-based additive manufacturing services provider specializing in full-lifecycle 3D printing solutions. With an experienced team of engineers, designers, and materials scientists, RapidMade supports clients from concept to finished product—accelerating development, increasing reliability, and minimizing cost.

Core capabilities include:

Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM): Expert support in geometry optimization, material selection, and performance modeling.
Certified Material Access: Polymers, composites, and metals, including options for regulated industries (medical, aerospace).
Custom Fabrication at Scale: Small- to mid-batch runs, bridge production, and repeatable part fulfillment using industrial-grade AM platforms.
Post-Processing and Quality Control: Finishing, dimensional inspection, and performance testing for mission-critical parts.

Strategic Partner for Scalable Deployment

Whether your organization is producing 500 jigs, 5,000 fixtures, or 50,000 end-use parts, RapidMade provides:

Rapid turnaround
Production consistency
ISO 9001-certified quality standards
Seamless collaboration with your design and engineering teams

From startups to Fortune 500 companies, RapidMade has helped clients overcome internal bottlenecks, de-risk product launches, and reduce time-to-market by leveraging additive technologies with precision and reliability.

9. Conclusion and Recommendations

Additive manufacturing is no longer emerging—it is established, integrated, and evolving. The 2023 Jabil survey confirms that AM has become an essential component of the modern manufacturing toolkit, supporting a wide range of applications across prototyping, production, tooling, and repair.

Yet the path to full industrial integration is fraught with challenges:

Certified material availability and cost remain critical barriers.
Post-processing workflows and quality control must scale.
Digital integration with enterprise systems is still limited.
Internal expertise, especially in DfAM, is uneven.

Despite these headwinds, the outlook remains firmly positive. Growth projections are stabilizing, not shrinking. Strategic alignment is increasing at the executive level. Most importantly, the industry is coalescing around high-value, high-reliability applications.

To capitalize on this momentum, manufacturers must work with proven partners who offer:

Scalable production infrastructure
Domain-specific material and process knowledge
Quality assurance and regulatory compliance

RapidMade delivers precisely this combination. For organizations looking to reduce cost, improve product performance, and accelerate deployment through additive manufacturing, RapidMade offers the experience, technology, and flexibility to succeed.

Ready to Scale with Additive Manufacturing?

Partner with RapidMade for 3D printing services to take your additive manufacturing capabilities from prototype to production.

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