Especially with layered manufacturing, most parts demand some type of secondary machining to remove support structures and/or create a finer surface finish. Producing finished parts still involves many steps, whether a part emerges as machined raw stock, built-up depositions or fused powder. 56% of DE survey respondents said 3D printing/additive manufacturing would have the biggest impact on product design and development over the next five years, beating out simulation, advanced materials, HPC and the IoT.
