It’s no secret that Burlington, MA, has created a welcoming business environment for leading organizations within innovative industries, such as today’s modern manufacturing. Every day, businesses across our community strive to develop cutting-edge technologies that change the way products are designed and manufactured.
In today’s blog, let’s explore the world of 3D printing (or additive manufacturing) and how the town of Burlington is supporting this innovative industry.
First, What Is 3D Printing?
3D printing is the process of creating a tangible, real-world product from the designed concept. The method uses uploaded computer files and a 3D printing machine to print objects in a three-dimensional space. This creates a highly customizable product that can be manufactured quickly and efficiently without sacrificing quality.
3D printing can also potentially reduce the costs associated with creating tailor-made products and bulk-scale manufacturing, as additive manufacturing minimizes the labor, design work, and material costs to make these products.
How Is 3D Printing Changing The World?
According to Statista, “the worldwide market for 3D printing products and services was valued at around 12.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. The industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of some 17 percent between 2020 and 2023.”
In addition, a report by Acumen Research and Consulting predicts that “the global 3D printing market size is expected to reach around $41 billion U.S dollars by 2026 and will grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of around 20.1% over the forecast period 2019 to 2026.
This means that additive manufacturing is currently a multi-billion dollar industry that isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. In fact, the innovations, technologies, and uses of 3D printing are consistently increasing at a rapid rate. As popular as 3D printing is currently, it’s set to become a massive piece of the worldwide economy over the next few years.
Statista goes on to explain that “New materials and applications continue to be developed on a rapid basis. These new applications are likely to enter a wide range of industries.”
How Is Burlington Supporting 3D Printing?
Like many of the industries supported by our town and community, Burlington has dedicated itself to developing properties that meet the needs of additive manufacturing organizations. In addition, our town planning board is courteous and forward-thinking, ready to work alongside organizations that wish to bring their 3D printing facilities to Burlington.
One such organization, Lightforce Orthodontics, required a more dedicated space to 3D print the world’s first fully customized 3D printed bracket systems. The business received unanimous approval from the town planning board to move forward with its cutting-edge facility. And Burlington’s proximity to Lightforce’s Cambridge, MA corporate office made back-and-forth travel accessible and easy.
Speaking of proximity, Burlington is a neighbor to the Northeast’s most prestigious technical educational institutions, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and many more. As a result, businesses in Burlington, especially in additive manufacturing, are afforded the ability to recruit and hire an exceptional, talented workforce.
Burlington is always looking towards the future. When it comes to 3D printing, our community is set to grow alongside the global multi-billion-dollar demand and growth of the additive manufacturing industry, making Burlington a global capital in 3D printing.