Prototyping Up 719% MoM as 3D Printing Supercharges Product Development
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Welcome to this week’s edition of the Thomas Index Report.
Product innovation requires technological breakthroughs and improved speed to market, and smart prototyping is vital to this process. On Thomasnet.com®, we see a surge in prototyping demand: general prototyping is up 719% month-over-month, and product design prototyping is up 540% year-over-year. Industries actively looking for these services on our platform include aerospace, automotive, electronic, and medical device manufacturing, all of which are deploying key manufacturing innovations. Let’s explore how the industry capitalizes on these new processes when prototyping.
Industry practitioners leveraged additive manufacturing during the pandemic to overcome supply chain bottlenecks. In 2020, a team of engineers and medical experts rapidly prototyped a better ventilator valve splitter in just 20 days. The team leveraged Xometry’s digital manufacturing marketplace to create nine different prototypes using various unique 3D printing technologies to suit the team’s needs. Thanks to rapid production, Xometry’s “fail-fast” approach allowed the team to quickly evaluate solutions to the decreased ventilator capacity at the time.
3D printing offers immediate design feedback, a wide material selection that includes metals and composites, and a complete digitalization of the design process. Together, these benefits turbocharge prototyping. Greg Paulsen, Director of Applications Engineering at Xometry, said that “3D printing remains a go-to tool for rapid prototyping with our partners due to its combination of speed, low costs, and ability to resolve even the most complex features.“
Further expansion of additive manufacturing is expected to drive growth for prototyping and many other sourcing categories on Thomasnet.com.
I’m Anna Wells, and this is the Thomas Index Report.
Top 10 Categories with the Most Sourcing Activity Month Over Month
- Prototypes: Electronic: 16750.0%
- Rapid Prototyping Services: Plastic: 80600.0%
- Prototypes: Product Design: 53800.0%
- Contract Manufacturing: Medical Parts: 51700.0%
- Shapes: Brass, Bronze & Copper: 42600.0%
- Milling: Metal: 34936.4%
- Metalworking Services: 34670.0%
- Circuit Design & Layout Services: 31150.0%
- Models: Experimental, Working & Prototype: 27000.0%
- Angles: 24450.0%
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