The Great AM Reset: What AMS Revealed About the Future of Additive Manufacturing
- Mar 18
- 4 min read
At this year’s Additive Manufacturing Strategies (AMS) conference in New York, one message came through clearly: additive manufacturing is entering a new phase—defined less by hype and more by hard decisions, real applications and strategic capability.
Now in its ninth year, AMS continues to stand apart for its focus on the business and investment side of the industry. Despite a blizzard disrupting travel and thinning attendance, discussions remained sharp, candid and highly relevant.
For Simon Marriott, three themes stood out: the growing importance of sovereign capability, the rapid impact of AI on design workflows, and what one investor described as “The Great AM Reset.”
Sovereign Capability Means More Than Owning Machines
I had the pleasure of participating in a panel on reshoring and friendshoring on day one, alongside Joris Peels (3DPrint.com), Stefanie Brickwede (Deutsche Bahn) and Daniel Landgraf (3D Spark GmbH).
These are complex times for the industry. Rapidly shifting tariffs have increased the cost of importing machines into the US, with global implications. At the same time, geopolitical tensions are reshaping regulation: metal laser powder bed fusion machines imported from China cannot be used in US defence programs, and titanium powder is now treated as a dual-use material under ITAR.
Panellists agreed that friendshoring is ultimately about protecting sovereign capability—but that doesn’t mean full vertical integration.
Many countries lack the scale to support domestic machine manufacturing, materials production and servicing. Instead, the priority is strategic self-reliance where it matters most.
You might source a machine from Germany and materials from the US or Asia—but if you can’t maintain, repair or upgrade those systems locally, your capability is fragile.
Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) emerged as a critical gap. In Australia, all but two major AM machine suppliers still rely on overseas technicians for major servicing. At the same time, some OEMs continue to lock down systems to proprietary materials, limiting flexibility and resilience.
True sovereign capability, therefore, is about control:
The ability to service and sustain equipment locally
Access to multiple material supply chains
Flexibility to adapt as regulations and markets evolve
AI Is Redefining the Role of the CAD Engineer
If sovereign capability is one side of the story, artificial intelligence is the other.
AMS showcased a wave of AI-enabled tools that are fundamentally changing how parts are designed and prepared for additive manufacturing.
One standout was Trinckle’s Fixturemate, which allows production staff—with no CAD experience—to create jigs and fixtures in minutes.
By uploading an STL file, identifying key constraints and adding simple inputs, users can generate print-ready designs almost instantly. This frees CAD specialists to focus on higher-value work, such as product development and optimisation.
Another example came from 3D Spark. Their software can convert inputs such as 2D drawings or photographs into what it calls “usable 3D representations”—without human intervention.
It then generates a report recommending the most suitable printing technology, alongside production-ready files.
The implication is significant: AI is shifting design capability from specialists to the broader workforce.
This doesn’t eliminate the need for CAD expertise—but it changes where that expertise is applied. Instead of routine modelling, engineers can focus on innovation, optimisation and complex system design.
Much like in software development, AI is beginning to reshape engineering workflows—reducing cost, accelerating iteration and lowering barriers to entry.
The Great AM Reset Is Underway
A provocative perspective came from venture capital firm AM Ventures. Their assessment was blunt: the industry is overpopulated and overly focused on technology, often leaving customers to define the value themselves. There are “100 variations of 7 technologies” all “trying to disrupt an unprofitable market.”
After more than US$2 billion in venture capital investment, AM Ventures arguee that “The Great AM Reset” has begun.
Tech companies now face two clear options:
Consolidate to achieve scale and sustainability
Refocus on applications that deliver real value
Their CEO, Aron Held, suggests the second path offers the strongest opportunity.
Rather than positioning themselves as AM experts searching for a market, the companies gaining traction are those deeply embedded in specific industries —using additive manufacturing as a tool to solve high-value problems.
These are not technology-led businesses. They are application-led businesses.
Application Leaders Are Quietly Winning
A strong example highlighted by AM Ventures is Australia’s Conflux Technology, a Geelong-based specialist in high-performance heat exchangers.
Companies like Conflux are succeeding not because they lead with additive manufacturing, but because they lead with deep domain expertise and apply AM where it delivers clear advantage.
What are they doing right in a market that is “overcrowded, unfocused, and, for many, deeply unprofitable”?
The winners “possess deep application knowledge” and are not “AM experts dabbling in a market; they are market experts who leverage AM as a tool to solve a high-value problem.”
What Comes Next
If AM Ventures is right, and “The Great AM Reset” is underway, the coming years will be decisive.
What is certain is that additive manufacturing’s potential remains significant—but real value, not promise, will determine who leads the next chapter.
And as emerging Australian examples show, companies like Conflux won’t be alone in helping the industry realise that potential.
