Markets for Additive Manufacturing – a Deep Dive into Tool and Die Making

As machine and process technology continue to evolve, equipment manufacturers are increasingly looking to specialize their product and service portfolio. Currently,they do this by implementing individual use cases in pilot projects. However, due to the diversity of these use cases, specialization is often at the expense of targeted implementation of AM. With the introduction of additive manufacturing, the tool and die making industry has shown great potential for market entry in recent years. A case study shows that around 15 % of German toolmakers are already using AM technology. The biggest obstacle in this sector is understanding the diversity of AM technologies and identifying economically viable use cases. At the same time, more and more toolmakers are hoping that the introduction of AM will enable them to expand their range of services and lower manufacturing costs. The presentation targets AM system manufacturers who are interested in the tooling industry as an application area and tooling companies that need guidance in how to approach a new technology in their spectrum. A two-step approach is proposed to identify new opportunities for both. At an organizational level, an in-depth analysis of different markets and their future developments regarding relevance in tooling will be presented. Industry trends, such as decentralized manufacturing, and their impact on tooling technology trends, such as upgradable tool components, will be discussed. The second step is to enable tooling companies to understand how to beat the cost level of conventional manufacturing by using AM in both manufacturing and series production. A research methodology will be presented to enable tooling companies to select use cases and corresponding technologies by analyzing their own component spectrum. The aim is to provide market intelligence for AM systems manufactures and to show tooling companies how to address specific opportunities and barriers.