Additive manufacturing is maturing beyond hype. In his interview on 3DPOD Rich Garrity of Stratasys explains how the industry is shifting from machines to real, scalable use cases.
Once seen as a future fixture in every home, 3D printing has since matured far beyond those overhyped expectations. Rich Garrity, Chief Business Unit Officer at Stratasys, recalls the era of frenzied optimism: “It wasn’t about if you’d have a printer in your home, but how many rooms would.” That consumer fantasy collapsed, but out of it grew a more grounded opportunity: industrial-scale, application-specific, additive manufacturing.
Today, the focus has shifted to delivering repeatable, ROI-driven applications in aerospace, automotive, healthcare, defense, and industrial tooling. As Garrity explains, “The adoption is real. The investments are continuing. It may not always make headlines, but it’s happening every day.”
Stratasys no longer just sells 3D printers; it delivers complete solutions. The evolving strategy spans:
Stratasys’ hybrid service model lets customers scale production organically – starting with Stratasys Direct, moving in-house as ROI permits, and leaning on Stratasys Direct again for overflow. This flexibility supports manufacturers wherever they are in their AM journey.
Particularly in automotive, centralized design teams are building digital libraries of validated tooling applications, then distributing them across global plant networks. Stratasys provides the materials, training, and localized scaling needed to execute this “tooling-as-a-service” model.
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Over 26 U.S. Air Force depots use Stratasys systems for certified spare part production: locally printable, quality-assured parts pulled from secure digital libraries. “These are parts that keep planes grounded,” Garrity reminds us.
Using SAF, companies are displacing low-volume injection molding for production-grade parts. Stratasys is helping OEMs establish additive-driven spare part models across distributed supply chains.
Originally a closed materials platform, Stratasys now operates a three-tier model:
Acquisitions of Covestro/DSM and BASF's Forward AM portfolio add depth and optionality when it comes to AM materials, supporting other OEMs’ hardware and even supplying materials to competitors.
Despite the buzz around metal AM, Garrity sees massive untapped potential in polymer applications: “When we ask how many use cases we’re touching today — it’s still extremely small. But the multiplier potential in 3–5 years is enormous.”
Stratasys is focused on breaking down the adoption barriers in polymer-heavy verticals like:
Metal could become a strategic addition — but only if it complements this roadmap.
Garrity’s outlook is clear: “It’s a game of education, confidence-building, and awareness.” Stratasys is betting that integrated solutions, digital libraries, and repeatable applications will drive adoption far beyond today’s 1% penetration rates.
The vision isn’t about selling boxes. It’s about helping manufacturers scale use cases — one digital part at a time.
