Current Status of Metal Additive Manufacturing Business in Japan

―The Case Studies of Service Bureaus―

Abstract

　3D printing technology is expected to significantly change existing business models. Currently, the prototype market and the single item market are the basics, but the manufacturing method has also evolved, and the powder bed fusion method and the binder jetting method have been put into practical use, and expansion into the mass production (medium volume production) market has begun. In Europe and the United States, mass production systems have been built for aircraft parts and automobile parts. Also, in Japan, mass production parts manufacturing has begun, and the number of service bureaus engaged in contract manufacturing is increasing rapidly. Because of the complexity of the various factors involved, it is important to accumulate and utilize the know-how of modeling. In this paper, the cases of companies engaged in the contract manufacturing business in the field of metal 3D printing business utilizing related technologies and their own strengths are examined.