3D Printing Trends In Agritech

In our recently published White Paper, 3DP/IP2025, we mentioned that according to a recentProtolabs Report, 87% of respondents in the agricultural industry said they had printed more parts in 2023 than the year before, a much higher figure than the cross-industry average of 70%.

When considering the need for easy access to spare parts, it is perhaps unsurprising that agriculture, along with the automotive industry, has been an early adopter of additive manufacturing. But a closer look reveals that the applications for 3D printing in farming actually go far beyond keeping machinery running.

A paper published by Smart Agricultural Technology looks at 3D printing applications in "smart farming" in detail. Obviously, on-demand manufacture of replacement machinery parts is first on the list, but it soon becomes clear that what drives the growth of additive technologies on the farm is the ability to produce customised, specialist equipment.