about ipos, consolidation, and the expected boom in sls printers

When I asked him to give me a particularly impressive 3D printing app, the 3D printing evangelist Tyler bent and his colleagues
The organizer of the internal 3D Printing Conference told me that he visited the 3D printing manufacturer ExOne.
There, he was particularly impressed by the company\'s integration with traditional sand casting processes.
A year later, when 3D printing began the revolution in personal manufacturing, it seemed like a strange thing.
\"Many people don\'t realize that most of the revenue generated by 3D printing comes from industrial consumers, not consumers,\" Benster explains . \".
Nevertheless, all media attention to 3D printing this year has begun major changes in the 3D printing industry itself.
The first is about cash.
Recently, the liquidity of the 3D printing company came from the acquisition of major enterprises.
However, organ chose the IPO route last year.
Several other companies have followed suit this year.
\"The huge success of The ExOne and Voxeljet IPOs in 2013 will pave the way for more IPOs in 2014,\" Benster said . \".
Next year, he expects to have two or three IPOs for companies related to 3D printing, such as Materialise.
Increased mobility means a lower cost per printer and material.
Benster estimates that this year\'s price of fine silk fell nearly half from $50 per kilogram in January 2013 to $30.
This led to a revision of the price-to-print performance ratio, he said.
This ratio is largely set by top companies in the industry such as 3D Systems and Makerbot.
However, there are two developments, that is, the expiration of patents related to SLA patents in 2007 (
Set off a wave of innovation in the 3D printing industry)
The entry of Chinese players who make cheap and low-cost 3D printers is the reason for the decline in printer prices.
Chinese manufacturers use low labor costs and cheap materials to flood the market with licensed versions of their cheap printers.
In turn, integration has become a major trend as major companies such as 3D systems and Stratasys acquire startups such as Sugar Lab and Makerbot.
According to Benster, the 3D printer market has surpassed the peak of market segmentation.
However, in the integration and launch of new models and the enthusiasm of retailers for 3D printers, the number of new models entering the market has decreased.
The new models launched in the market dropped from 160 last year to 180.
Benster says this is the first decline since the desktop 3D printing market began in 2007.
Several new models launched this year are made in China.
Benster said that established organizations such as Stratasys have responded through litigation, and the entry of Chinese 3D printing companies into the market is a \"gospel\" for consumers \".
\"While litigation will increase the complexity and cost of entering the US market, the opportunity is large enough that a few companies will enter the US market in 2014,\" he said . \".
Major retailers such as Staples and Office Depot have entered the 3D printing market.
3D printing for UPS-as-a-
Service earlier this year.
However, there are no quantifiable indicators to measure the success of their initiatives.
However, according to Benster\'s statement, Makerbot seems to have an advantage. “Makerbots (from Stratasys)
It seems to fly off the shelf, Cubify (From 3D system)
With high sales and CubeX (
Other 3D printers from 3D systems)
It\'s in trouble, \"he said.
While major industries such as aircraft and medical care already use 3D printing technology to make industrial parts, bent says the best time for 3D printing is computer automation --
Generated CAD design.
In other words, the engineer (and designers)
Just enter the parameters and measurements related to 3D printing to generate the model.
\"Creating low-eight, better-performing items usually requires designing something that can only be made on a 3D printer,\" he said . \".
Some patents related to Selective Laser Sintering will expire next year, and selective laser sintering is a form of 3D printing with superior quality and speed to existing technologies such as molten deposition modeling or FDM.
Analysts predict that the 3D printing market will grow significantly.
However, Benster did not foresee the explosion of the SLS printer.
There are several reasons for this.
The first is related to cost.
\"SLS have too many expensive parts to see a surge in cheap SLS machines,\" he said . \".
However, he estimates that SLS-
Technology like selective hot sintering of blue printers could be close to $15,000, which is a good price point
Beyond the tolerance of ordinary consumers.
The second problem is related to the lack of open source movement in SLS, which is comparable to the movement existing in Fusion deposition modeling or FDM when the patent expires in 2007.
\"The RepRap and Fab @ Home projects have been working on desktop printers for four years and the kit is available for sale as early as 2007,\" he explained . \".
Without a similar foundation, the best opportunity for a more affordable SLS in 2014 will come from new companies entering the US market.