SME Media sat down with Materialise NV CEO Brigitte de Vet-Veithen recently to discuss the current and future state of additive manufacturing (AM). One main focus was scalability — manufacturers need to create a profitable, scalable business model for AM in their operations.
As a result, de Vet-Veithen believes that AM's growth over the next few years will focus less on flashy applications and more on realistic expectations for the technology. Though innovation will continue, companies will start focusing on optimizing their AM usage and creating real solutions for companies.
Materialise has a heavy focus on healthcare, so de Vet-Veithen discussed much on the current state of additive in the medical industry, but also said scalability of the technology is within reach for other sectors such as automotive, aerospace, and defense. For AM to continue to grow, de Vet-Veithen emphasized that industry-specific solutions are necessary.
Wrapping up the interview, de Vet-Veithen insisted that those in the AM industry need to have a collaborative mindset to enable wider adoption of the technology. As AM grows throughout different manufacturing industries, there will be a greater impact on not only the industrial sector but society at large.