3D Printing: A Guide for Decision-Makers

The document examines 3D printing (3DP) as a disruptive technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. While 3DP revenues were less than 0.1% of global manufacturing revenues in 2018, the technology is growing rapidly, particularly in prototyping and tooling. The guide explores how broad adoption could decentralize manufacturing, shift trade flows from finished goods to raw materials, and create challenges for intellectual property and customs. It provides a framework of leading indicators for decision-makers to monitor and suggests strategic realignments for businesses and governments to maximize benefits while mitigating risks like workforce displacement and environmental waste.

• 3D printing (3DP) has seen rapid growth over three decades, with global revenues growing at an average annual rate of 26.9%, yet it remains a small fraction of the overall manufacturing sector, accounting for less than 0.1% of global manufacturing revenues in 2018.
• The primary current industrial uses of 3DP are prototyping and tooling, though there is a growing trend toward producing end-use parts, which increased from 15.6% to 28.4% of parts produced by 3DP facilities between 2009 and 2019.
• Broad adoption of 3DP could lead to the decentralization of manufacturing, potentially causing workforce displacement or 'reshoring' where production moves from low-cost labour regions back to advanced economies.
• The technology may fundamentally alter global trade by shifting physical flows away from finished and intermediary goods toward 3DP raw materials (such as filaments) and increasing the cross-border transmission of digital CAD files.
• 3DP creates significant legal and regulatory uncertainties, particularly regarding the classification of CAD files as either 'goods' (under GATT) or 'services' (under GATS), and the determination of 'substantial transformation' for Rules of Origin.
• The ease of distributing digital designs and the advancement of 3D scanners increase the risk of intellectual property violations, the proliferation of illegal copies of brand-name products, and the production of regulated items like guns.
• 3DP offers environmental benefits through reduced material waste via additive processes, lower CO2 emissions from shorter supply chains, and the potential for 'generative design' to create high-performance, recyclable structures.
• The document identifies several leading indicators for monitoring 3DP adoption, including the appearance of 3DP on company roadmaps, sales data for industrial and home printers, and the number of 3DP-related lawsuits.

APA

World Economic Forum (2020). 3D Printing: A Guide for Decision-Makers. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Impacts_3D_Printing_on_Trade_Supply_Chains_Toolkit.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. 3D Printing: A Guide for Decision-Makers. 2020. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Impacts_3D_Printing_on_Trade_Supply_Chains_Toolkit.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=3D Printing: A Guide for Decision-Makers |date=January 2020 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Impacts_3D_Printing_on_Trade_Supply_Chains_Toolkit.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2020printing, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{3D Printing: A Guide for Decision-Makers}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = jan, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Impacts_3D_Printing_on_Trade_Supply_Chains_Toolkit.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }