Additive manufacturing examples abound throughout the modern industrial sector, with use cases in several different manufacturing verticals. From automotive to defense to healthcare, industrial 3D printing is becoming prevalent in manufacturing.
As significant global events shake up supply chains, manufacturers are turning to additive to remain flexible, and ensure they can continue to meet production schedules and deadlines despite the disruption. This technology is more than just a nice-to-have; it helps companies stay prepared for unexpected situations and keep production going when it otherwise may have stalled, preventing costly downtime.
These examples of how manufacturers use additive manufacturing across multiple industrial sectors highlight the advantages of this technology and its role in advancing the manufacturing industry.
How Additive Manufacturing Is Shaping the Future of Healthcare
The healthcare industry has adopted additive manufacturing (AM) both for the production of medical devices and for patient-specific care. Medical devices that utilize 3D printed parts are changing how the healthcare system cares for patients and helping to improve patient outcomes.
Many AM companies see significant interest in 3D printed healthcare products, including dental options such as resins, dentures, and aligners, as well as customized medical devices. More specifically, manufacturers use AM to create orthotic devices that help infants with breathing problems, custom prosthetics for injured U.S. soldiers, and more comfortable wheelchair padding. These examples highlight how additive is a true production technology in the medical manufacturing industry that is improving patient quality of life.
Though manufacturers use AM to create end-use parts in the healthcare industry, more work remains to scale the technology in this field. There is still a cost premium for 3D printed medical devices compared to traditionally manufactured ones, and this prevents more adoption of the technology. As medical manufacturers embrace 3D printing and work to innovate to reduce costs, AM will be able to further scale in this industrial sector.
Additive Drives Production for Automakers
In addition to healthcare, AM has also taken a front-row seat in automotive manufacturing. The use of AM technologies in this industry has really ramped up over the past few years as a way to create complex, lightweight end-use products while localizing production. Access to 3D printing has helped automotive manufacturers navigate recent supply chain disruptions and evolving tariffs.
These changes have led the auto industry to implement AM as a means to innovate production operations. Now almost every major automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) utilizes AM components within assembly lines and vehicles. This has resulted in streamlined processes, improved efficiency, and cost savings for both OEMs and automotive suppliers.
Additionally, industrial 3D printing can accelerate the product development cycle. By using AM technology to create anything from custom tooling solutions to jigs and fixtures, manufacturers can quickly adjust for new designs or production requirements within their processes. But this technology isn’t just helping with production — AM can also be a tool to combat the manufacturing workforce shortage.
There is significant interest in AM technologies, which plays a part in attracting new talent to manufacturing. While many see jobs in the industrial sector as dirty or dangerous, industrial 3D printing is helping shift the focus to innovation to draw in next-generation talent. Plus, with fewer workers in manufacturing overall, it’s necessary for companies to take advantage of machines, like 3D printers, that can run for hours without the intervention and oversight of human workers.
Dynamic production processes, improved part quality and performance, and a stronger ability to attract and retain talent — all these examples highlight exactly why the automotive industry is embracing additive manufacturing. Continued investment in this technology ensures automakers will remain competitive in an evolving manufacturing landscape.
Enhancing Mission Readiness With Additive Manufacturing
AM is becoming more commonplace in manufacturing facilities and medical labs, but there’s another unexpected location this technology is making waves — the battlefield. Defense operations require quick solutions when in need of specific hardware or replacement parts, and today’s global supply chains struggle to keep up. Delays or long lead times can negatively affect mission readiness for defense teams in the field. That’s why the defense industry is incorporating AM within field operations.
This technology enables defense teams to be agile in response to operational disruptions, even in remote locations. With 3D printers on-site, military personnel can produce needed components on demand, unhindered by any issues happening along traditional supply chains. These aren’t just one-off, unimportant components that teams are 3D printing, but mission-critical parts, such as drone mounts required for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) deployment. Due to the nature of the defense industry, a delay in receiving these components can have serious consequences.
Having AM systems in the field means defense teams don’t have to rely on distant, third-party suppliers and can instead produce what they need, when they need it, even during crisis scenarios. Plus, lead time when using AM is just hours — a significant decrease from the weeks or months it may have taken with traditional manufacturing methods. Additionally, since 3D printers create parts on demand, defense teams can significantly reduce spare part inventories, which may be a considerable burden in remote locations.
Aside from these benefits, defense teams can leverage AM's capabilities for multiple applications in the field. One specific example comes from the United States Air Force. Recently, a supplier stopped manufacturing a required part, so the Air Force turned to additive to design and manufacture the part.
This resulted in cost savings of more than $4,000 on just one replacement part, which included recovering the cost of the AM unit. Now each time the Air Force needs that part, it’s able to manufacture it on-demand and save thousands of dollars compared to sourcing it externally. This is just one of many examples highlighting how AM is thriving in the defense industry.
With such AM success stories, the defense industry is now planning for full-scale adoption throughout its infrastructure. The strategy will transform AM from standalone use in field operations to embedded workflows within defense systems. Once executed, defense teams will be able to produce high volumes of compliant, mission-critical parts throughout the defense ecosystem. Continued AM innovation is essential to the future of defense.
Additive Manufacturing’s Presence
These additive manufacturing examples are a great representation of how the technology is transforming the manufacturing industry. In healthcare and medical manufacturing, AM isn't just making better patient devices — it's also improving outcomes for patients. In the automotive world, manufacturers use AM to create high-performance vehicle parts while simultaneously supporting and enhancing production operations. And among defense teams, on-site AM systems are manufacturing mission-critical parts, even during crisis scenarios.
As a production technology, AM is helping manufacturers be more efficient and cut costs. However, these benefits clearly also apply outside of a factory’s four walls, making AM an indispensable technology throughout different areas of the industrial sector. As adoption of AM continues to grow, manufacturers will uncover even more innovative use cases.
If you’re a manufacturing professional looking to explore more examples of AM in industry, make sure to check out RAPID + TCT 2027. North America’s largest additive manufacturing and industrial 3D printing event heads to Detroit next year and will highlight the latest in manufacturing trends and products.