Are more designers buying machines or outsourcing services? Is Makerbot really king? Where is 3D printing currently being used in the design process? @MadeforMe3D has released Models for Success: When, How and Why Designers are Using 3D Printing Today—an international survey of industrial designers. Speaking in August in Detroit at IDSA’s International Conference: Making Things Happen—Made for Me CEO James Antifaev unveiled statistics such as:
- 51 percent of designers use 3D printing in at least 60 percent of their projects
- 2/3 of designers utilize an in-house 3D printer
- 63 percent of designers outsource some or all of their 3D printing
The full report contains insights into when, how and why designers are using 3D printing within the design process; which in-house desktop and commercial 3D printers are most popular; and the perceived benefits and challenges of different 3D printing approaches including outsourcing. Several case studies from designers around the United States and Canada also are mentioned in the report, as well as future trends in 3D printing.
“New manufacturing technologies are making the production of models and prototypes more accessible than ever before,” writes Antifaev in the report. “While additive manufacturing (commonly known as 3D printing) has been around since the 1980s, the last few years have seen an accelerating proliferation of technologies, services and business models that give designers greater choice than ever before.”
He adds, “IDSA states that the industrial design process contains 32 possible steps, of which 15 involve the creation of models or prototypes. Thanks to 3D printing, all of these potential steps can now be performed with higher fidelity, greater speed and at lower cost than previously possible. Due to the pace of change, however, many designers are still learning about the potential for these new approaches.”
Sign up here to download the full, 25-page report. For more information, contact James Antifaev, CEO, Made for Me, +1 604.762.1178 or [email protected].
Made for Me helps designers procure rapid prototypes and end use parts from a global network of 3D print suppliers, offering 40 materials and a wide range of commercial grade 3D printers. Designers are able to quickly compare quotes from multiple suppliers and order 3D printed parts online. Made for Me vets all suppliers and provides a quality guarantee on all orders. Previously, Antifaev spent nearly 10 years in the aerospace industry, where he worked on projects for NASA and the Canadian Space Agency; contributed to the development of the Vega rocket vehicle at the European Space Agency; and led the development and sale of new technology products at MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates.