According to research by leading business intelligence firm IDTechEx, published as "3D Printed Materials Market 2020-2030 - COVID Edition", the market for 3D printing materials has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but plenty of market drivers point to a strong future.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the 3D printing sector and its end users (such as printing bureaus), new directions of travel have nonetheless emerged. Some opportunities have even been directly prompted by the pandemic.

IDTechEx have released a brand new report, "Smart Cities Emerging Materials Markets 2021-2041" - a comprehensive analysis of multifunctional smart materials, bioplastics, structural electronics, composites, 3D printing, graphene, 2D and 3D molecules, 5G, 6G, IOT, new recycling.

Following decades of development, 2021 and 2022 are set to be notable years for the graphene industry, as it finally approaches an inflection point. Some in the graphene sector are now seeing their labors bear fruit in the form of commercial success - but that is not the case for everyone.

Graphene materials are progressing through their own hype curve. The commercialization has been making steady progress and IDTechEx expect the graphene market to significantly grow over the next decade.

IDTechEx predicts that despite COVID the 3D printing market will be worth $45bn in 2030. But how will COVID impact the 3D printing industry? What are the key drivers and restraints of market growth?

The 3D electronics market is diversifying and is forecast to reach around $3bn by 2030. Find out more in the IDTechEx report, "3D Electronics 2020-2030: Technologies, Forecasts, Players".

Despite a temporary setback owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the market for 3D printing of metals is expected to see a significant rise over the next decade. Within that, it is anticipated that most of the revenue will be attributed to material sales.

Uniquely, the new IDTechEx Research report analyses and forecasts the major disruptive opportunities for radically new city materials, equipment and systems totalling a $1.7 trillion market in 2041.

IDTechEx have released a new market research report on the topic of 3D printed materials - taking into account the effect of COVID-19. IDTechEx predicts that the global market for 3D printing materials will be worth $18.4 billion in 2030.

Without doubt, the impact of COVID-19 is being felt at a pivotal point in the evolution of 3D printing.

Although additive manufacturing (AM) has existed for over forty years, the technology is still progressing as new materials and printing processes continue to be developed.

Imagine a situation where, given a request, a lab automatically chooses what experiments to do, robotically carries this out, tracks the reaction with integrated sensors, acquires and analyzes the results, and then decides what experiment to do next. This seems like science-fiction, but certain truths may be closer than you think.

Tuesday 29 September - The pandemic is wreaking havoc with industries worldwide for many different reasons. This webinar explains how we have assessed the current and likely impact of the pandemic on the 3D printing industry, both the technologies employed and the materials consumed.

Metal powders are the most common feedstock used in metal additive manufacturing.

3D printed electronics, here explored in detail, is an emerging technology that enables a new manufacturing paradigm.

Materials informatics is quickly becoming one of the most significant areas of interest for chemical and material companies.

Metal additive manufacturing has seen many trends over recent years including pushing the (build) envelope & deposition rate to higher levels, broadening the materials portfolio, and expanding into new markets. One trend that cannot be overlooked is the number of product launches for low-cost "desktop" variants; the question is will they be successful?

Mention an electronic circuit and you are likely to picture a printed circuit board (PCB): a rigid rectangle in a characteristic green color with copper lines and a bewildering array of components soldered onto it. But does adding electronic functionality means using a PCB and thus requires shoehorning a rigid rectangle into the product?

Thursday 20 August 2020 - Metal Additive Manufacturing: Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain - This webinar includes: Overview of latest market forecast and key trends; Technology benchmarking and new entrant analysis; Latest in material considerations and supply chain progressions; and Deep-dive into relevant sectors and the impact of COVID-19.