Snap! Another major player quietly exited the AM scene...
The Atomic Layers: S9E5 (00242)
Atomic Layer of the Day:
These things usually pass without a sound. Someone puts out a short press note somewhere, a stiff corporate statement. And that’s it. You know, back in the day, it used to stir up a lot of buzz and noise, but now? Silence. It’s over and done with—why bother bringing it up again?
Jabil has exited 3D printing.
Its portfolio of “certain engineered materials assets” was taken over by a newly established company—Lumas Polymers, founded by Luke Rodgers, formerly Senior Director of R&D at Jabil.
Sound familiar? YES! Not even a year ago, BASF pulled a similar move when former Forward AM executives bought themselves out of the corporation. Sadly, we all know how that ended.
Let’s hope Lumas Polymers has better luck 🙏
It’s been known for a while that Jabil was pulling out of AM—only, as usual, it was all unofficial. Just like what happened with Mitsubishi Chemical—once arguably the world’s largest filament producer—which also quietly started shedding its assets in 2022–2023.
In case you didn’t know, Mitsubishi owned Dutch Filaments, the biggest contract manufacturer for FFF filaments in Europe.
The company first began changing commercial terms for its clients, making continued collaboration completely unprofitable—and then it simply began shutting down and selling off its filament production lines.
Why did Mitsubishi Chemical, probably the largest filament producer in the world at the time, do that? Because in the context of their entire business—it was invisible. Yes, in 3D printing they were a giant, but within their own corporate structure, filament production was like… an itch in the ass.
I imagine the conversation went like this:
“So this 3D printing thing… why isn’t it working out? Why aren’t we selling anything there?”
“Uh, actually it is working. We’re the global market leader…”
😐
“Seriously. It’s us, then a long, long gap, and only then 3 or 4 other companies combined that don’t even make half of what we do.”
“Hmm… In that case… maybe let’s just quietly shut it down, aight? And never speak of this embarrassment again, okay?”
And that’s probably how the conversation went at Jabil. And earlier at BASF and Braskem.
The 3D printing charm has faded. To big global players, it now looks about as appealing as the new Snow White movie. Additive Manufacturing is once again becoming the domain of small and medium-sized enterprises—just like in the 1990s and early 2000s.
And maybe… that’s for the better?
Atomic Layer from the Past:
04-05-2001: 3D Systems and DTM Corporation announced a merger.
‘2013 in AM’ - brand new history book! GET IT NOW!
News & Gossip:
TRUMPF has approved 6K Additive’s titanium powder for its TruPrint 3D printers, enhancing aerospace and sustainable manufacturing. The partnership ensures high-performance parts with low environmental impact. Both companies emphasize streamlined customer qualification and reduced CO₂ footprint.
Creality’s upcoming SpacePi X4 filament dryer, set for reveal on April 9 at Rapid+TCT, has leaked via AliExpress and retailers. The four-spool dryer features dual heating chambers (up to 80°C), active dehumidification, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, and smart modes.
Yesterday on LinkedIn, we launched a closed group to support people looking for jobs in the AM industry. Currently, The AM Restart Hub has over 40 registered members from around the world. If you're looking to hire – let us know (unless, of course, you're part of the majority that's currently just laying people off).
One more of many if the Additive Industry doesn’t change direction in post-processing. If you can’t produce components that meet industrial standards there isn’t much of a future
I just heard that many of those big names on 3D filament providers relayed so much on 3D printers manufactures to sell its materials. They had 30 to 40 doctors in materials and just a couple of Salles personal. As the industrial 3D printers loose traction they sales went down as well.