Quo vadis, laser additive manufacturing?

In a global world and economy, the entire society has to face its global megatrends and grand societal challenges. New needs and demands from the product oriented markets—market pull—necessitate emerging solutions from the production oriented technology in (advanced) manufacture—technology push—enabling breakthrough innovations. Manufacturing remains the main driver of economic wealth: “Manufacturing has a larger multiplier effect than any other major economic activity—a dollar spent in manufacturing drives an additional $1.35 in economic activity.” New products addressing adapted and customized specifications due to rapidly changed needs and demands require new manufacturing approaches that subsequently require a revolutionary thinking toward completely re-invented manufacturing chains and processes. These new, additive, manufacturing processes are the key enablers for the production of new parts and components that could not be manufactured before due to, e.g., design and/or material restrictions based on conventional—subtractive—manufacture such as 5-axis-milling. Customized parts and devices, more energy efficient components, light-weight structures, and tailored materials, contributing to minimum six out of 12 megatrends, become manufacturable.