SupplyChainBrain reports that the SCB Think Tank analyst perspective views tariffs as originating in 1789—among the first acts of the newly formed U.S. Congress. More recently, countries have witnessed a resurgence of tariffs as part of their economic policy or as political pressure tactics. Tariffs can protect domestic industries, create and save jobs, and improve the trade balance—but they also drive higher raw material costs, create operational challenges, and result in smaller profit margins. Businesses face the choice of absorbing these costs or passing increased expenses to consumers, which can mean lost market share. To overcome rising prices stemming from American tariffs and supply chain disruptions, additive manufacturing (3D printing) has emerged as a primary strategic tool.
From a supply chain perspective, the main industrial additive manufacturing technology categories include (1) FDM/FFF (Fused Deposition Modeling/Fused Filament Fabrication); (2) SLA (Stereolithography); (3) SLS (Selective Laser Sintering); (4) DMLS/DMLM (Direct Metal Laser Sintering/Melting); (5) EBM (Electron Beam Melting); (6) Multi Jet Fusion (HP MJF); (7) Binder Jetting; (8) WAAM (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing); (9) DED (Directed Energy Deposition); and (10) Vat Photopolymerization. Leading industrial 3D printing manufacturers include Stratasys (Yoav Zeif, CEO; Eden Prairie, Minnesota); 3D Systems (Jeffrey Graves, CEO; Rock Hill, South Carolina); HP Inc. (Enrique Lores, CEO; 3D printing division); EOS GmbH (Marie Langer, CEO; Germany); SLM Solutions (owned by Nikon as of 2023); Desktop Metal (Stratasys merger in 2025); Markforged (Shai Terem, CEO); Carbon (Phil DeSimone; DLS); Velo3D; Formlabs; Ultimaker; BCN3D; and Prusa Research—all key ecosystem players.
From a supply chain perspective, the main industrial additive manufacturing application sectors include (1) Aerospace (GE Aerospace, Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce—jet engine components); (2) Medical (Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, Smith+Nephew, Align Technology—implants, orthodontics); (3) Automotive (Ford, GM, BMW, Toyota, Tesla, Bugatti—prototyping, custom parts); (4) Defense (Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, U.S. Navy); (5) Tooling; (6) Energy; (7) Consumer Goods; (8) Architecture and Construction; (9) Education; and (10) Jewelry and Dental. Leading U.S. additive manufacturing sector organizations include the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG); America Makes (National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, based in Youngstown, Ohio); the ASTM International F42 Committee (Additive Manufacturing); and the SME Additive Manufacturing Community. The Wohlers Report serves as the primary annual 3D printing industry report.
From a supply chain perspective, the main additive manufacturing tariff mitigation strategies include (1) distributed manufacturing (local production coupled with global supply chains); (2) on-demand spare parts (producing replacement parts as needed); (3) tooling and fixtures (local production of molds and fixtures); (4) prototyping; (5) parts consolidation (reducing BOM through part integration); (6) lightweighting; (7) customization; (8) supply chain resilience (stockpiling critical components); (9) obsolete parts production; and (10) just-in-time manufacturing. Leading U.S. 3D printing service bureau providers include Protolabs (Robert Bodor, CEO; Maple Plain, Minnesota); Xometry (Randy Altschuler, CEO; Derwood, Maryland); Fictiv (owned by Misumi); Hubs (owned by Protolabs; formerly 3D Hubs); Shapeways (bankruptcy in 2024); and Sculpteo (owned by BASF), with Materialise based in Belgium. nTopology and Hyperganic represent leading generative design and computational design software providers. In conclusion, the SCB Think Tank's advocacy for additive manufacturing reflects how manufacturing localization is gaining momentum globally in the Trump tariff environment—distributed manufacturing and on-demand parts strategies appear to be emerging as primary strategic priorities for supply chain managers.
Key Takeaways:
1. SCB Think Tank views 3D printing as a tariff mitigation tool.
2. U.S. tariffs originate in 1789 and are experiencing a resurgence.
3. FDM, SLA, SLS, and DMLS are primary 3D printing technologies.
4. Stratasys, 3D Systems, HP, and EOS are leading manufacturers.
5. Distributed manufacturing and on-demand spare parts are core strategies.
