Publicly funded spending on additive printing increased by 100% from 2012-2015, according to a new report by Innovate UK.
Effectively an advisory board for the UK government, but a separate entity, Innovate UK was formed to drive the tech industries forward and help to provide jobs for the British people in advanced industries. It revealed that government spending, through grants, awards and other reached £30 million ($43 million) in 2014.
The growth spurt continues
By February 2015, £25 million ($36 million) had already been assigned to projects for this calendar year and there is more to come. So the trend is clear, public funding for 3D printing is rising almost exponentially.
244 projects have been assigned funds for this year, which is an 80% increase on 2012, while the number of research organisations involved in 3D printing has risen 200% to 243. A good deal of the increase has come from the commercial sector, which has woken up to the potential of 3D printing and is now ploughing in resources to stay ahead of the curve.
In 2012 there were just 57 commercial organisations in 3D printing and now that has increased to 165. Academic institutions have also come on board, which means the industry as a whole in the UK benefits from some of the finest academic minds and the best research facilities. 41 institutions are involved in 3D printing at some level, compared to just 24 in 2012.
Concerns have faded away
A number of concerns came up in 2012 and that continued in the popular press until recently. They included missing links in the 3D printing supply chain, quality issues and the practicality of 3D printing as a manufacturing technique. The new report revealed that a lot of these problems have simply been swept away by the ongoing tidal wave of progress that is the 3D printing industry.
While research and development are through the roof, though, the Innovate UK report suggests that commercial exploitation of additive printing has not taken off to the level it should have. That is something it is keen to address.
Innovate UK recognises the power of 3D printing and the potential to shape the whole UK economy. It wants to drive a number of changes to make sure that R&D, manufacturing and the supporting industries co-ordinate their efforts and sail through what has been billed as a new industrial revolution as smoothly as possible.
A strategy is essential
The advisory board is determined to create a national strategy to ensure there isn’t a massive skills shortage for the industry. That means creating the right courses, potentially sponsoring students and apprenticeships and creating an additive manufacturing ecosystem that attracts the right candidates.
With an industry that is constantly evolving like 3D printing, it may need to take on some of the responsibility for education. Where that starts is up for debate as the industry could adopt a holistic view and go into schools, or it could simply offer extensive in-house training programmes for new recruits.
Time for a formal working group?
Innovate UK also wants to create a formal network of users and developers to make sure the industry is pulling together and answering the right questions. It wants the end users and the manufacturing companies to get involved with the theoretical research to drag Britain to the front of the pack when it comes to actual applicable science that can provide a competitive edge.
The UK government is keen to see 3D printing continue to grow at the same rate and it is undoubtedly a force for good in the country as a whole. The next few years will be interesting and if the industry fulfils its potential then the next report could tell a very different story.
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