A Study on 3D Printing and its Effects on the Future of Transportation

In recent years, significant progress has been made in additive manufacturing (AM) for numerous applications in various industrial segments. International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts the global market for 3D printing technology to exceed $14 billion in 2019. It is expected to double in the next five years. 3D printing technology can fabricate complex geometries with no part-specific tooling and much less waste material, and can produce various customized products at lower cost. An MIT study indicates that the adoption of 3D printing can reduce supply chain costs by 50% to 90%, this being particularly true for slow-moving and custom products (Bhasin and Bodla 2014). Bulk of the savings for traditional manufacturers would come from the reduction of transportation activity and worldwide goods transfers. A possible decline in the air cargo and the ocean container businesses because of 3D printing is 41% and 37% respectively. Also, 25% of the trucking freight business is exposed to decline. 3D printing technology brings the production closer to the consumer, so production and distribution of products could begin to be deglobalized. Therefore, 3D printing technology is likely a disruptive innovation that will affect the logistics industry and the global supply chain. Moreover, products can be fabricated on demand without the need to build up inventories or warehouse new products and spare parts. This report presents an overview of the potential impact of 3D printing technology and its future on the transportation sectors related to logistics, supply chains, and freight. It is noteworthy that over 30% of imported goods in the US are potentially suitable for manufacture by 3D printing technology, so there is a high probability that 3D printing will create new high-tech jobs, and produce a shift in the current labor market. However, there is significant economic benefit when AM technologies are integrated with traditional manufacturing shops. This report does not speculate on that shift, but summarizes existing research to better understand how 3D printing could affect the current market of $2.4 trillion in goods imported into the US.

• Record URL:
  • https://cait.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/cait-utc-nc19-final.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/48895
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Rutgers University, Piscataway

  Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  Piscataway, NJ  United States 

  Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation

  Rutgers University
  100 Brett Road
  Piscataway, NJ  United States  08854-8058

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Jumaah, Omar
• Publication Date: 2018-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 39p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Forecasting; Freight traffic; Impacts; Logistics; Manufacturing; Market assessment; Supply chain management; Technological innovations; Three dimensional printing
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01713100
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: CAIT-UTC-NC19
• Contract Numbers: DTRT13-G-UTC28
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 31 2019 3:31PM