The 3D printing industry has had a rough go of it, of late. In a few short years, it’s gone from technology darling to victim of its own industry hype, a move that has had serious implications for some of the industry’s biggest players.
But as the consumer-facing wing of the space has seemingly hit the skids, another aspect of the technology is gaining serious momentum. Late last month, industry giant Stratasys announced a pair of new technologies and manufacturing partnerships with Boeing and Ford. Three months prior, HP showed off a pair of washing machine-sized devices aimed at taking on more established industrial 3D printing companies.
Last week, GE dropped $1.4 billion to acquire European 3D printing firms SLM Solutions Group and Arcam, nearly matching the amount of money it’s pumped into the technology over the past half-dozen years.