Which of the following is considered a rapidly growing segment in Additive Manufacturing (AM)?

The choice identifying tooling as a rapidly growing segment in Additive Manufacturing (AM) highlights a significant trend in the industry. Tooling refers to the production of tools, dies, and molds that are often needed in manufacturing processes. With the advent of AM technologies, organizations have found it advantageous to create complex tools more quickly and at a lower cost compared to traditional machining methods. This is particularly important as industries seek to reduce lead times and improve the efficiency of their production processes.

Furthermore, AM allows for the design of tools that were previously impossible to manufacture using conventional techniques, leading to innovations in tool design and performance. This growth is driven by the ability to customize tools for specific applications and to manufacture them on-demand, thus reducing inventory and storage costs.

While other segments like mass production, quality control, and supply chain management are also relevant to the broader scope of Additive Manufacturing, tooling stands out as a key area of rapid growth due to its foundational role in enabling and enhancing production capabilities within various manufacturing sectors.