Top 3D Printing Challenges (And How to Overcome Them)

The outlook for 3D printing is exceedingly positive—nearly every report published in the last decade explores the potential of additive manufacturing and how it can help transform parts of the manufacturing process. The optimism is well-placed. The technology has experienced unprecedented growth in the last several years. But it would be naïve to overlook the biggest 3D printing challenges and how they shift as the technology evolves.

Since 2017, Jabil has surveyed over 300 product brands about their 3D printing capabilities, adoption, as well as current challenges and future plans. In the time since our first survey, additive manufacturing has come a long way—discussions of potential benefits have translated into real business outcomes that promise potential across every industry. For example:

• At Jabil's Auburn Hills site, using 3D printing for jigs and fixtures has led to a time reduction of 80% (from months to weeks) and up to 30% reduction in tooling costs.
• With additive manufacturing, a fan within an aircraft cooling system can be consolidated from 73 labor-intensive and time-consuming parts to one.
• Using 3D printing, HP saw breakeven points for production parts climb from 5,000 units up to 40,000 units.
• Traditionally-machined manifolds in medical devices can be significantly simplified with the 3D printing process.

These proof points highlight the transformative impact of additive manufacturing. While many product brands have seen tremendous time- and cost-savings in everything from prototyping, design and production parts, others are waiting for the technology to be ready for use in their industry.

Regardless, 94% of survey participants admit to facing 3D printing challenges. Those challenges have shifted over the last few years, showcasing the advancements in the technology to production readiness, which unveils new obstacles to overcome.

Download Jabil's 2021 3D Printing Technology Trends survey report.

Critical 3D Printing Problems and Solutions

In the 2017 survey, respondents indicated that their biggest additive manufacturing challenges were related to costs (of pre- and post-processing, system equipment and materials), whereas 2019 respondents found 3D printing material issues to be most challenging. Today, however, challenges seem to vary: the cost of pre- and post-processing, the limited selection of materials and technology limitations are the biggest 3D printing challenges of 2021.

Although these 3D printing problems represent the top challenges faced across industries such as consumer electronics, healthcare, heavy equipment, automotive, industrial machines and packaging, there are some small differences when we examine the details by industry.

According to Jabil's survey results, the cost of pre- and post-processing is the top challenge for the consumer electronics, heavy equipment and industrial machines industries, whereas healthcare, automotive and packaging industries are most likely to struggle with the limited selection of materials.

Diving deeper into what prevents product brands from using 3D printing in mass production today, 54% say materials issues (cost or availability of materials) are number one. Another 43% highlight their workforce issues (such as the lack of qualified personnel or subject matter experts). Finally, 42% affirm facing platform issues (availability or cost of 3D printers) and process issues (design or post-processing issues).

While the mentioned challenges have stayed mostly steady over the last two years, there is a notable exception: ecosystem issues, which rose by 13% from 2019 to 2021. This could be due—at least in some part—to the vulnerabilities revealed by the supply chain impact of COVID-19. Companies across all industries were forced to evaluate the speed and agility of their operational processes as well as how smoothly everything works together.

Navigating Challenges with Additive Manufacturing Materials

In the 2019 survey, 94% said that their design and engineering teams frequently choose traditional manufacturing methods over additive manufacturing due to a lack of materials. It makes sense. The cost and availability of 3D printing materials may be the main obstacles, but material performance is a significant barrier.

As I mentioned earlier, part quality—integrity, strength, aesthetics, etc.—is a challenge many manufacturers face. While some sectors are doing well and transforming their customer experiences (for example, the dental and hearing aid industries), others haven't yet moved beyond prototyping to part production. This is because certain industries (such as healthcare and aerospace) require certified materials or specific qualifications for the materials to be used beyond prototyping.

According to the Jabil survey, polymers are the most commonly used 3D printing materials today, but participants are most interested in using metals next. Currently, 3D printing is most suitable for complex, bespoke parts that are costly and difficult to produce via traditional methods. But as advancement are made in lowering the cost of materials and faster machine throughput, metals for additive manufacturing use will be much more accessible to product brands.

Addressing the Lack of In-House 3D Printing Expertise

Considering how fast additive manufacturing is advancing, it can be very difficult to find the right talent to grow the technology in your organization, as indicated in the survey results.

The reality is that you can draw on your team members. Whether it is injection molding or design, you can cross-train your existing talent to get them up to speed with 3D printing. Your design teams may require more support as they learn to design for additive manufacturing. Companies that focus on training their teams on using the technology see positive benefits such as a more excited team, increased creativity and pride of workmanship, according to the survey.