Additive Manufacturing Technologies: 10 Emerging Innovations [2025 & Beyond]

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies enhance traditional production methods and enable complex designs and functionalities. They ensure faster production cycles, reduced material waste, and improved product customization. For instance, continuous fiber reinforcement (CFR) integrates continuous fibers into polymer matrices to provide stronger, lightweight parts for aerospace and automotive applications. Meanwhile, nano-additive manufacturing (nano-AM) produces nanoscale components with intricate geometries for sectors like electronics and medical devices. These developments in additive manufacturing technologies offer flexible, scalable, and resource-efficient manufacturing to enhance production, reduce costs, and meet growing market demands.

Why should you read this report?

• Gain in-depth insights into the top 10 technologies impacting additive manufacturing.
• Learn about three practical use cases for each technology.
• Meet 10 innovative startups advancing these technologies.

Key Takeaways

1. Binder Jetting
   • Use Cases:
     • Automotive Prototypes
     • Medical Implants
     • Casting Molds
   • Startup to Watch: Mercury Biomedical
2. Digital Light Processing (DLP)
   • Use Cases:
     • Precision Optics
     • Microfluidic Devices
     • Surgical Guides
   • Startup to Watch: BIO INX
3. Energy-Efficient Printing
   • Use Cases:
     • Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing
     • Direct Ink Writing (DIW)
     • Material Jetting
   • Startup to Watch: Lake3D
4. Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM)
   • Use Cases:
     • Automotive Frames
     • Mining Equipment
     • Oil & Gas Machinery
   • Startup to Watch: Solideon
5. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
   • Use Cases:
     • Drone Components
     • Robotic Parts
     • Medical Devices
   • Startup to Watch: Additive Scale
6. Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM)
   • Use Cases:
     • Automotive Powertrain Components
     • Large-Scale Tooling
     • Spacecraft Components
   • Startup to Watch: OrthoFundamentals
7. Vat Polymerization
   • Use Cases:
     • Hearing Aids
     • Microfluidic Devices
     • Custom Prosthetics
   • Startup to Watch: UV Polimer
8. Two-Photon Polymerization (TPP)
   • Use Cases:
     • Micro-Optical Components
     • Custom Lab-on-a-Chip Devices
     • Nanostructured Surfaces
   • Startup to Watch: Heteromerge
9. Additive Manufacturing Automation
   • Use Cases:
     • Post-Processing Automation
     • Distributed Manufacturing
     • Multi-Material Printing
   • Startup to Watch: Rocketprint
10. Material Extrusion
    • Use Cases:
      • Prosthetic Limbs
      • Automotive Interior Parts
      • Robotic Components
    • Startup to Watch: DASH

Additive Manufacturing Technology FAQs

What is additive manufacturing technology?

AM or 3D printing builds objects directly from digital models layer by layer and diverges from traditional subtracting manufacturing methods. Additionally, AM leverages computer control to construct components by depositing materials such as polymers, metals, or ceramics in successive thin layers. This technology caters to sectors like aerospace, automotive, healthcare, and consumer products. Moreover, it enhances prototyping and production cycles by enabling rapid design iterations without tooling changes.

What are the new additive manufacturing technologies?

• Multi-Material and Gradient 3D Printing: Enable the simultaneous printing of multiple materials and the creation of gradient structures. For instance, voxel-based printing controls the properties of printed layers to produce parts with varying mechanical, thermal, or electrical characteristics.
• CFR: Integrates continuous fibers such as carbon, glass, or kevlar into 3D-printed polymer matrices to create parts with improved strength and stiffness.
• 4D Printing: Offers time-based shape transformation by using materials that change shape, properties, or function when exposed to external stimuli like heat, moisture, or light.
• Nano-AM: Fabricates nanoscale structures with high resolution and complexity using techniques like two-photon polymerization (TPP or 2PP) or electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing.
• Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM): Utilizes high-velocity particles to build up material layers by eliminating melting. This cold process fabricates dense, durable metal parts without thermal distortion.

Where is this Data from?

StartUs Insights provides data through its comprehensive Discovery Platform, which covers 4.7+ million startups, scaleups, and tech companies globally, as well as 20K+ emerging technologies & trends. The platform excels in startup and technology scouting, trend intelligence, and patent searches, offering a detailed view of the innovation landscape. For this report, we analyzed technologies within specific industries using the trend intelligence feature. During this research, we identified patterns and trends, pinpointing relevant use cases and the startups developing solutions for each. More capabilities and details are available at StartUs Insights Discovery Platform.

10 Emerging Technologies Impacting the Future of Additive Manufacturing [2025 & Beyond]

1. Binder Jetting

Binder jetting deposits a liquid binding agent onto layers of powdered materials to build a component. This method constructs parts by selectively binding the powder particles, while unbound powder supports the structure during printing. The separation of material application and binding supports materials like metals, ceramics, and polymers. Moreover, this enables high-speed production with minimal waste. Likewise, innovations in binder jetting, like enhanced binder formulations and control over powder distribution, improve part density, mechanical properties, and surface finish.

3 Practical Use Cases of Binder Jetting

• Automotive Prototypes: Binder jetting produces complex automotive prototypes and enables quick iterations during the development phase. This reduces lead times and costs while providing durable and accurate models for testing form, fit, and function.
• Medical Implants: Detailed, porous structures using biocompatible materials offer customized solutions for patient-specific needs. The control over the material deposition enhances the surface properties for better tissue integration and reduces post-processing.
• Casting Molds: Directly printing complex geometries enhances the casting process for metal parts, particularly in the aerospace and heavy machinery industries. It provides flexibility in design changes and reduces material waste and production timelines.

Startup to Watch: Merdury Pharmaceutical

Taiwanese startup Merdury Pharmaceutical develops StackDose, a drug development platform that combines 3D powder printing and proprietary drug-binding formulations. The company creates new dosage forms with time-controlled dissolution and targeted site absorption. Further, it reformulates the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) into special tablet forms through a patented powder binder and 3D powder-forming process. This produces tablets with customized pore sizes, flavor modifications, and rapid disintegration properties to enhance palatability and control drug release. Also, the platform compounds new drug formulations to reduce the number of medications patients take, thereby improving compliance and simplifying treatment.

2. Digital Light Processing

DLP utilizes a digital light source to project light patterns onto a liquid resin to cure photopolymer resin layer by layer. This enables rapid and precise solidification with enhanced surface quality and fine details. Advances in DLP include higher-intensity light sources, improved resin chemistries, and enhanced pixel resolution for faster print speeds, finer layer thicknesses, and superior part clarity. This way, DLP solutions produce complex geometries and smooth surfaces.

3 Practical Use Cases of Digital Light Processing

• Precision Optics: Highly focused UV light cures photopolymer resins to achieve micron-level accuracy and smooth surface finishes required for lenses, mirrors, and optical elements. This eliminates post-polishing while reducing lead times and costs.
• Microfluidic Devices: DLP enables intricate microfluidic channels by selectively curing resin layers for fluid control and chemical analysis. Such lab-on-a-chip devices and complex fluid-handling systems benefit the medical diagnostics and biochemical industries.
• Surgical Guides: Patient-specific surgical guides use biocompatible and sterilizable medical-grade resins with high precision and complex details matching the patient’s anatomy. This improves surgical accuracy, reduces operation times, and enhances healthcare outcomes.

Startup to Watch: BIO INX

Belgian startup BIO INX offers DEGRES INX, a polyester-based synthetic resin for DLP with biocompatible and biodegradable properties. The resin exhibits shape memory behavior and allows structures to transition shape at body temperature for biomedical applications requiring dynamic response materials. The resin’s physical characteristics, combined with its printability feature, support advancements in biofabrication and enable complex structures. Further, it enhances scaffold development for tissue engineering to offer mechanical support, high-fidelity printing, and direct cell embedding.

3. Energy-Efficient Printing

Manufacturers integrate energy-efficient 3D printing systems to reduce energy consumption without compromising quality. Cold spray additive manufacturing, direct ink writing, and material jetting utilize low-energy deposition techniques and minimize heat-intensive processes. These methods also reduce thermal distortion and enable rapid production. Further, they integrate automation, smart monitoring systems, and optimized material formulations to enhance the overall sustainability of AM workflows.

3 Practical Use Cases of Energy-Efficient 3D Printing

• Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing: Uses kinetic energy instead of heat to bond metallic powders onto substrates and create strong, dense parts while lowering energy consumption. This assists industries like aerospace, automotive, and defense.
• Direct Ink Writing: Forms complex structures at room temperature and minimizes energy usage during the printing process through precise extrusion of polymers, ceramics, or biological inks. This technology supports bioengineering for tissue scaffolds, electronics for functional devices, and structural engineering for custom composites.
• Material Jetting: Offers detailed prints while consuming lower energy. This method assists industries like consumer goods, healthcare, and electronics to produce prototypes, multi-material components, and functional parts that require high precision.

Startup to Watch: Lake3D

Dutch startup Lake3D develops advanced voxel-based multi-material jetting technology to produce products for dental applications. This inkjet printing process enables precise placement of each droplet by a print head to ensure accuracy at a micro-level. Each droplet comprises varying materials or colors to create customized 3D products with the desired properties, shades, and transparencies. It integrates printing, materials, and software to optimize the combination of colors and materials to balance mechanical properties and aesthetic detail.

4. Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

WAAM builds large-scale metal components by using an electric arc as a heat source to deposit wire feedstock layer by layer. This approach enables engineers to create complex, near-net-shape metal structures. WAAM printers also feature real-time monitoring and adaptive control systems to ensure precise deposition. Technologies like robotic arms and computer numerical control (CNC) systems further augment WAAM setups to enhance the automation, accuracy, and repeatability of manufacturing processes.

3 Practical Use Cases of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

• Automotive Frames: WAAM produces large-scale automotive frames with customized structures and minimal material waste. This enables rapid prototyping, reduces lead times for component production, and increases design flexibility.
• Mining Equipment: The fabrication of mining equipment requires durable components that withstand extreme conditions. WAAM builds or repairs large metal parts directly to reduce the time for tooling and part production while enhancing operational uptime.
• Oil & Gas Equipment: WAAM produces and repairs large, complex parts such as pipes, valves, and offshore structures with corrosion-resistant alloys. This enables faster turnaround times and optimized material usage to reduce production costs and minimize downtime.

Startup to Watch: Solideon

US-based startup Solideon makes Aperture, a robotic manufacturing system with collaborative AM. The system leverages multiple robots to simultaneously build large components, with integrated CNC machining for creating net-finished parts. Aperture also utilizes 3D inspection for accuracy and enables the assembly of sub-components into complete systems to provide fully automated manufacturing workflows. The company develops gradient materials using its patent-pending algorithmic design and proprietary multi-metal WAAM to enable single-piece assemblies with varied mechanical properties. Solideon’s solution shortens the design-to-production cycle and offers rapid, cost-effective manufacturing.

5. Selective Laser Sintering

SLS utilizes a high-powered laser to sinter powdered materials such as nylon, polymers, and certain metals and fuses them into solid structures layer by layer. Unlike other 3D printing techniques like fused deposition modeling (FDM) or stereolithography (SLA), SLS eliminates support structures for more complex geometries and the efficient use of materials. Technological advancements in laser precision, powder handling, and material formulations enhance the accuracy, mechanical properties, and surface finish of SLS-printed parts. This allows manufacturers to make durable, functional prototypes and end-use components.

3 Practical Use Cases of Selective Laser Sintering

• Drone Components: Lightweight and complex drone components to optimize aerodynamic performance and payload capacity. This process reduces production time and material waste to enable rapid prototyping and on-demand production.
• Robotic Parts: Custom robotic parts with high strength-to-weight ratios and intricate geometries are essential for advanced robotics applications. It uses engineering-grade materials, such as nylon and carbon-fiber composites to develop end-use parts that withstand mechanical stresses and offer movement flexibility.
• Medical Devices: Patient-specific components with biocompatible materials in medical devices like prosthetics, orthotics, and surgical instruments enhance device performance and patient comfort. It also reduces costs and improves time-to-market in the medical field.

Startup to Watch: Additive Scale

Additive Scale is a German company that provides a proprietary SLS technology that enables customized, sustainable, and scalable eyewear solutions. It utilizes laser-powered sintering to transform powdered materials like nylon into solid, high-quality frames. The company also incorporates a finishing process and custom-built machines, materials, and software to reduce environmental impact.

6. Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing

EBAM leverages an electron beam as a heat source to melt wire feedstock and build components layer by layer. It works with high-performance alloys like titanium and Inconel for applications requiring strength and durability. EBAM’s precision and high deposition rates allow for the efficient production of large-scale metal parts. It also offers significant time and material savings compared to traditional subtractive manufacturing. Key technologies involved in EBAM include advanced electron beam controls for precise thermal management, in-situ monitoring systems for real-time quality assurance, and sophisticated CAD-to-part software for optimizing build strategies.

3 Practical Use Cases of Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing

• Automotive Powertrain Components: EBAM produces components with high-performance materials like titanium and Inconel. This technology improves lightweighting, reduces material waste, minimizes machining steps, and enhances part customization for transmission housings, cylinder heads, and turbocharger components.
• Large-Scale Tooling: The technology makes molds, dies, and other tooling components by building large structures without compromising mechanical properties. This benefits industries like aerospace, automotive, and heavy machinery by shortening lead times and reducing manufacturing costs.
• Spacecraft Components: To withstand extreme conditions and complex designs, EBAM fabricates large, intricate structures directly from wire feedstock. It offers quicker production of critical parts like fuel tanks, structural supports, and propulsion components.

Startup to Watch: OrthoFundamentals

US-based startup OrthoFundamentals makes a suite of orthopedic implants and instrument kits to optimize surgical procedures. It utilizes electron beam melting (EBM) to create implants with precise lattice structures that enhance mechanical strength and promote osteointegration. For this, the company’s solution uses macro, micro, and nanostructured textures embedded with calcium and phosphorus ions. Additionally, this leads to higher bone-to-implant contact and improved bone growth. The company offers single-use instrumentation to eliminate inefficiencies found in reusable kits by reducing surgical site infections and sterilization costs.

7. Vat Polymerization

Techniques like stereolithography (SLA) trace each layer with a laser, while digital light processing (DLP) projects an entire layer simultaneously for faster printing and higher resolution. Advanced developments in light sources, resin chemistries, and layer curing processes enable vat polymerization to achieve higher surface quality, fine feature details, and complex geometries. Since the technology uses its resin formulations to offer different material properties, from flexible and transparent to highly durable and heat-resistant, it provides high precision, smooth finishes, and adaptable applications.

3 Practical Use Cases of Vat Polymerization

• Hearing Aids: Precise layer-by-layer curing of photopolymer resin enables detailed and customized hearing aid shells. This rapid fabrication technique increases personalization, reduces lead times, and enhances comfort and fit.
• Microfluidic Devices: Biomedical research and diagnostics need small, intricate channels and structures for microfluidic devices. The technology’s high resolution improves fluid handling, chemical analysis, and lab-on-a-chip applications while reducing material consumption.
• Custom Prosthetics: Patient-specific prosthetic limbs leverage biocompatible resins with complex shapes and smooth finishes to improve the adaptability and comfort of prosthetics for patients while streamlining production.

Startup to Watch: UV Polimer

Polish startup UV Polimer develops 3D printing resins to replicate oral cavity structures for dental applications. These resins, including Model One, Tray, Try In, and Crown, involve rapid curing times and durable prints. Model One offers a durable resin for general dental printing with a wide color palette, while Tray provides impression trays. Try In controls bite and occlusion, and Crown offers crowns and bridges. These products provide high-quality oral restorations.

8. Two-Photon Polymerization

TPP offers an ultra-high-resolution technique for fabricating complex micro- and nanoscale structures. It uses a tightly focused femtosecond laser to initiate polymerization only at the focal point, where two-photon absorption occurs with features up to 100 nanometers. This non-linear optical process enables 3D printing within a transparent resin without disturbing the surrounding material. TPP systems comprise femtosecond laser systems, precise motion control platforms, and advanced photopolymer resins that respond to localized laser exposure. Further, advances in two-photon polymerization, like laser beam shaping, advanced optical components, and novel resin chemistry, enhance the speed, accuracy, and functionality of printed structures.

3 Practical Use Cases of Two-Photon Polymerization

• Micro-Optical Components: Highly focused femtosecond laser pulses and micro-optical components with submicron resolution enable complex lenses, waveguides, and diffractive optical elements. This assists industries like telecommunications, imaging, and photonics.
• Custom Lab-on-a-Chip Devices: Direct 3D fabrication of custom lab-on-a-chip devices delivers intricate microfluidic pathways and structural details for biological and chemical analyses. Also, it creates complex, multi-layered channels for diagnostics, biomedical research, and environmental monitoring.
• Nanostructured Surfaces: With tailored materials with unique optical, mechanical, or chemical properties, nanostructured surfaces allow industries to make anti-reflective coatings, bio-inspired materials, or superhydrophobic surfaces. This enables rapid customization and improved performance.

Startup to Watch: Heteromerge

German startup Heteromerge offers an open-fluidic system that enables situ liquid print material exchange for multi-material printing. Its TPP technology integrates with liquid-immersed 3D printer optics to align the laser and substrate for increasing accuracy. It automates material exchange to achieve faster multi-material prints and reduce overhead times. Additionally, the substrate-independent design supports flexible printing on transparent and opaque surfaces, from small prototypes to large wafers.

9. Additive Manufacturing Automation

The integration of advanced robotics, AI-powered process controls, and smart manufacturing software into production workflows streamlines additive manufacturing. Robotic arms automate part handling, machine learning (ML) algorithms optimize optimization processes, and real-time monitoring systems improve quality assurance. This reduces manual intervention and enhances production cycles. Moreover, advances in manufacturing execution systems (MES) and digital twins enable communication between AM equipment for scheduling, predictive maintenance, and traceability across production stages.

3 Practical Use Cases of Additive Manufacturing Automation

• Post-Processing Automation: Automating post-processing tasks such as cleaning, surface finishing, and part removal streamlines the end-to-end AM workflow to ensure consistency and quality in finished parts. This reduces manual labor costs, minimizes production bottlenecks, and enhances surface quality and precision.
• Distributed Manufacturing: Geographically dispersed production sites synchronize and enable on-demand, localized production without requiring large inventories. This assists sectors like consumer goods, defense, and healthcare to reduce supply chain risks and lead times.
• Multi-Material Printing: It enables transitions between different materials within a single build process to enhance the complexity and functionality of printed components. This provides integrated parts with varying properties, such as electronics, wearable technology, and prosthetics.

Startup to Watch: Rocketprint

Polish startup Rocketprint provides an automatic quote solution that enhances production management for 3D printing businesses. It enables companies to build online stores where customers upload 3D models, receive instant quotes, and place orders. It automates order intake, production planning, and sales management to ensure efficient workflow and resource optimization. The solution’s real-time inventory tracking, automated invoice generation, and analytics enable precise planning and scheduling. This way, Rocketprint centralizes operations, improves collaboration, streamlines additive manufacturing processes, and boosts customer satisfaction.

10. Material Extrusion

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) and fused filament fabrication (FFF) develop thermoplastic filaments, composite materials, or even metal-polymer hybrids through a heated nozzle after softening the material and placing it according to digital designs. Innovations in are multi-material extrusion heads, temperature control systems, and extrusion speed as well as extrusion-compatible polymers like polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and carbon fiber-reinforced filaments. These solutions expand the range of materials and applications of material extrusion for creating complex geometries, functional prototypes, and tailored end-use parts.

3 Practical Use Cases of Material Extrusion Technologies

• Prosthetic Limbs: FDM produces thermoplastic materials in precise geometries that match a patient’s unique anatomical structure. This offers cost-effective, lightweight, and durable prosthetics that reduce production time.
• Automotive Interior Parts: The technology produces interior components like dashboards, trim pieces, and custom fixtures by extruding polymers or composite materials with flexibility in design and color. As a result, it reduces tooling costs and shortens development cycles.
• Robotic Components: High-strength thermoplastics or composite materials enable lightweight yet structurally sound parts for grippers, joints, and housings. This application allows rapid prototyping and functional testing to enhance the customization of robotic parts for different applications.

Startup to Watch: DASH

US-based startup DASH (Digital Anatomy Simulations for Healthcare) develops ultrarealistic 3D-printed anatomical models. The startup converts 2D images from computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans into detailed, application-specific structures through a proprietary DASH magic process. Further, it utilizes biocompatible materials like nylon 11 and 12 through SLS. With this, the company replicates the look and feel of human tissue and improves clinical outcomes and surgical guidance.

Impact of Additive Manufacturing

Patents & Grants

Additive manufacturing has made a significant mark with over 15000 patents. Moreover, with a surge in innovation, it supports 1000+ grants, highlighting strong investment in new technologies.

Investment Landscape

It showcases an average investment value of USD 39.1 million and over 6380 funding rounds. The top five investors in the sector include EIC Fund, Techstars, MassChallenge, Y Combinator, and Creative Destruction Lab, focusing on funding types such as Seed, Early Stage VC/Series A, Pre-Seed, Angel, and Later Stage VC/Series C. Key industries attracting this investment are medical devices, manufacturing, software development, design, and aerospace.

Global Footprint

The industry’s global reach is reflected in its top country hubs. These include the USA, Germany, India, the UK, and Italy. Moreover, the leading city hubs include New York City, London, Shenzhen, Melbourne, and San Francisco.

For more actionable insights, download our free Additive Manufacturing Innovation Report.

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