Additive Manufacturing in industry and commerce: the ongoing revolution
Introduction to additive technologies
Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is undergoing an unprecedented maturation phase, with increasingly consolidated applications in the industrial world and the capacity to redefine traditional production paradigms. In 2025, the technology has established itself well beyond prototyping, becoming a strategic solution for production in critical sectors such as defense, aerospace, automotive, and energy.
One of the most significant innovations is the integration of advanced ceramic materials. The Catalan Institute of Energy Research (IREC) has inaugurated Merce Lab, the world's first pilot plant dedicated to the production of hydrogen technologies using ceramic 3D printing. The project represents a turning point for the energy sector: solid oxide cells (SOC) can operate both as fuel cells and as electrolyzers, offering higher efficiencies compared to polymer technologies.
The IREC process starts with the preparation of “ceramic inks” to print the SOC cells, which are subsequently sintered at very high temperatures to compact the material and ensure its strength and stability. The combination of additive manufacturing and advanced ceramic processes allows for complex geometries with superior performance, reducing material consumption and enabling lightweight and compact designs.
The growth of ceramic additive manufacturing also offers significant benefits in terms of sustainability. By increasing energy density, the cells are particularly interesting for maritime transport, aviation, and large-scale renewable energy storage. The industry can thus obtain more efficient devices at potentially lower costs (estimated around 800 € per kilowatt) and with a production process that avoids the use of materials such as cobalt or nickel.
Meanwhile, Asian manufacturers have expanded their influence, moving from the desktop segment to the industrial one. Companies like Bambu Lab have shown extraordinary commercial penetration, successfully establishing themselves in industrial and educational environments. In 2025, the demand for reliable, intuitive solutions with a strong price-quality ratio continued to grow.
Industrial applications of additive manufacturing
The hybrid manufacturing sector, which combines 3D printing and CNC machining, is emerging as one of the most promising segments. Leading companies like Meltio, DMG Mori, and Mazak are driving a market worth 3.1 billion dollars, reducing material waste by up to 97% and creating a new standard for industrial production.
Hybrid technology allows for reducing times: processes that required ten weeks can now be completed in 72 hours. The combination of additive deposition and subtractive machining exploits the advantages of both methods, realizing components with complex geometries and extremely precise dimensional tolerances.
In the automotive sector, sustainability is becoming a fundamental driver. The partnership between CNPC Powder and the automotive supplier Brose is a concrete example of a circular economy: the steel scrap from Brose's Chinese production lines is converted into iron-based powders for additive manufacturing.
Using AMP and PS spheroidization technologies, CNPC Powder produces highly spherical metal powders with high fluidity, stable particle size distribution, low oxygen content, and compliance with international standards such as IATF 16949. The closed loop reduces dependence on raw materials, minimizes industrial waste, and supports Brose's ESG goals.
Green Steel material, obtained entirely from the scrap of Brose's pressing plants, maintains the chemical composition and mechanical properties of conventional sheet metal components, satisfying machine compatibility requirements and promoting the circular economy.
Brose, a private German company with approximately 31,000 employees at 68 sites in 24 countries, develops and produces vehicle systems including doors, tailgates, seats, and electric motors from 200 W to 14 kW for steering, thermal management, and e-scooters. Additive manufacturing accelerates product development, ensuring that prototypes correspond to serial production materials.
In aerospace, the maturity of 3D printing is evident in the production of engines and critical components. In 2025, multiple companies conducted tests and validations of rocket engines with 3D printed parts. New Frontier Aerospace, POLARIS Spaceplanes, AVIO SpA and Agnikul Cosmos demonstrate that additive manufacturing is now integrated into aerospace programs.
Economic impact and competitive advantages
Economic impact manifests through the reduction of production costs, acceleration of development times, minimization of waste, and the creation of new business models.
Hybrid manufacturing reduces waste by up to 97%, generates direct savings and contributes to environmental sustainability goals. Completing a process in 72 hours rather than ten weeks enables a rapid response to demand and reduces inventory costs.
The CNPC-Brose partnership shows how additive manufacturing transforms waste into value resources, lowering the cost of raw materials and creating added value from materials otherwise destined for disposal.
The energy innovation of the Merce Lab project promises to reduce the costs of hydrogen technologies: solid oxide cells at 800 € per kilowatt could accelerate the transition to a clean hydrogen economy, central to the decarbonization of hard-to-electrify sectors.
The growth of Asian producers is redefining global competitive dynamics. Companies like Bambu Lab, offering solutions with a strong price-to-quality ratio, are pushing traditional producers to rethink their strategies and making additive technologies more accessible.
The formal recognition of additive manufacturing as critical infrastructure by the United States Department of Defense creates new economic opportunities for suppliers who meet rigorous security, traceability, and certification standards.
Challenges and barriers to adoption
Widespread adoption faces technical, economic, and regulatory challenges.
The standardization and certification of processes and materials remains a barrier. The United States National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has formally recognized additive manufacturing as critical infrastructure, subject to rigorous standards for security, traceability, certification, and scalability. The regulation prohibits the Department of Defense from using systems produced, developed, or connected to entities in countries such as China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea.
Although necessary for national security, regulation increases complexity for companies, especially for SMEs that may not possess the resources to implement the required traceability and certification systems.
The Merce Lab project highlights the technical challenges of producing complex ceramic components: the high-temperature sintering process requires specialized expertise and extremely precise process controls. The transition from pilot scale to large-scale industrial production will require further investment in research and development.
Material qualification remains an obstacle. Green Steel is still under evaluation for future volume production; the process may require years of testing and validation before use in safety-critical applications.
Workforce training is critical: additive manufacturing requires skills that combine materials engineering, computer-aided design, process control, and post-processing. The shortage of qualified personnel can slow adoption.
Initial investment costs still represent a barrier: although the total cost of ownership can be competitive, the initial investment for high-quality industrial systems can be prohibitive.
Future trends and market outlook
The future is character
article written with the help of artificial intelligence systems
Q&A
- What is the main innovation introduced by the Catalan Institute IREC in the field of ceramic additive manufacturing?
- IREC has inaugurated Merce Lab, the world's first pilot plant using ceramic 3D printing to produce solid oxide cells (SOC) for hydrogen. SOCs can operate both as fuel cells and as electrolyzers with efficiencies higher than polymer technologies.
- How does hybrid manufacturing (3D + CNC) contribute to industrial sustainability?
- Hybrid manufacturing reduces material waste by up to 97% and shortens production times from ten weeks to 72 hours. By combining additive deposition and subtractive machining, complex components with extremely precise tolerances are obtained, reducing costs and inventory.
- How does the CNPC-Brose partnership realize a circular economic cycle in the automotive sector?
- Steel scraps from Brose production lines in China are converted into high-sphericity iron powders for 3D printing. The resulting Green Steel material maintains the mechanical properties of traditional sheet metal, reducing dependence on virgin raw materials and industrial waste.
- What are the main regulatory barriers to the adoption of additive manufacturing in the United States?
- The NDAA has classified AM as critical infrastructure: it imposes rigorous standards for security, traceability, and certification and prohibits the Department of Defense from using systems connected to China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea. This increases complexity, especially for SMEs.
- Why does material qualification remain an obstacle to the scaling of additive manufacturing?
- Materials like Green Steel must undergo years of testing and validation before use in safety applications. Furthermore, high-temperature ceramic sintering requires specialized expertise and precise process controls, slowing the transition from pilot to volume production.
- What economic advantage do 3D-produced SOC cells offer over traditional hydrogen technologies?
- 3D-printed SOC cells cost approximately $800 per kilowatt, potentially lower than conventional solutions, and do not use cobalt or nickel. The increase in energy density makes them ideal for maritime transport, aviation, and large-scale renewable storage, accelerating the hydrogen transition.
