Leyre Barrena Longarte, Seed Capital Bizkaia
Although it is difficult to predict the scope and direction of the new technological/industrial revolution that is beginning, the truth is that it is here and, in one way or another, it will transform our lives, our economy and our society.
One of the great protagonists of this revolution is, undoubtedly, digital manufacturing, and especially 3D printing, considered by some people as the disruptive technology par excellence, since it represents a radical change in the industrial value chain by challenging the prevailing patterns of production, exchange of goods and consumption today.
3D printing allows you to digitise/design objects in three dimensions and manufacture them by adding successive layers of material, providing undeniable advantages over conventional processes, such as the production of objects of any geometry, no matter how complex, with the only limit of human imagination; the customization of products tailored to customers at no additional cost; the shortening of the development time of a product from its conception to its delivery; or the production of very different objects with the same equipment, making the manufacture of small quantities more flexible (short series or unique pieces) and enabling smaller companies access to markets that until now had been restricted by the large investments required.
Although the first developments of this technology date back to the eighties, the expiration of critical patents has facilitated the gradual reduction in the price of 3D printers and their popularization, leading to an explosion of uses in multiple fields of application, such as health (personalized implants, custom-made prostheses made of plastic, ceramic or titanium materials that replace damaged body parts, or experimentation with bioprinters to reproduce human tissues and organs), the aerospace sector or the automotive industry (prototypes, moulds, pre-series, Formula I, etc.). Additive manufacturing is also presented as a competitive solution in sectors that are intensive in creativity and design, such as textiles, footwear, jewellery, art, decoration, architecture or the video game industry, which benefit from the total freedom it provides to design and modify quickly any object.
Despite the technological obstacles and challenges that 3D printing faces today, this disruptive technology offers an immense range of opportunities for the implementation of new business initiatives within the sector, from design activities (development of advanced content management systems for 3D design, etc.), to the development of equipment and printing materials, through support software for the entire process, security, quality control, data management, apps, or solutions for logistics and digital supply of personalized products.
In short, 3D printing provides a new and valuable opportunity for the competitiveness and development of our territory and, also, for venture capital, from which a growing proliferation of investment operations in the sector can be expected.
