From left: Nichelle Hubley of The Assembly; Bob Hendrick of CAMufacturing; Véronique Maheu of Polycontrols Technologies; Véronique Maheu of Polycontrols Technologies; Leif Tiltins of AON3D; and John F. Cigana, Director, Project Development at NGen. Photo Credit: MMTS

Additive manufacturing is finding a place in production environments, but uptake across Canadian industry remains uneven.

That was the main message from a panel titled From Design to Deployment: Scaling Additive Across Industrial Manufacturing at the Montreal Manufacturing Technology Show (MMTS) earlier this month, where suppliers, software developers and service providers described growing use of additive for repair, tooling and low-volume parts, particularly in sectors facing supply chain constraints. That interest was also visible on the show floor, where vendors such as Stratasys, Renishaw and Polycontrols showcased additive systems and applications across production environments.

The panel, which included Leif Tiltins of AON3D, Véronique Maheu of Polycontrols Technologies, Bob Hendrick of CAMufacturing and Nichelle Hubley of The Assembly said interest has picked up over the past two years, with more companies exploring how the technology can support operations.

“Last 18 months alone, I have seen more production applications than probably the last eight and a half years put together,” said Leif Tiltins, VP of sales and marketing at AON3D.

Where additive is gaining traction

Several speakers tied that growth to ongoing supply chain pressure, especially in aerospace.

“The supply chain is broken… it’s difficult to get parts. Lead times are very, very long,” said Véronique Maheu, VP of business development at Polycontrols Technologies. “People are trying harder to get more autonomous and reshore processes.”

That is driving interest in additive for repair and replacement parts, where long lead times or low volumes make conventional manufacturing less practical.

“There’s a lot of obsolete parts, replacements, repair,” said Nichelle Hubley, CEO of The Assembly, a network that connects manufacturers with additive manufacturing service providers.

In those cases, additive can offer shorter turnaround times and reduce reliance on stored inventory.

“They want to stop buying by a pack of tens or hundreds,” Maheu said. “They want to be able to print on demand.”

Speakers also pointed to applications in high-value, low-volume production, where flexibility can outweigh unit cost.

“There are some parts where it makes sense to produce it with additive,” Hubley said.

Barriers beyond the technology

Despite those use cases, adoption remains uneven, with panelists pointing to a mix of awareness, design and process challenges.

Hubley said many companies still struggle to identify where additive fits into their operations.

“The capability is here. The capacity is here. No one can find it,” she said. “They can’t navigate it. It’s hard to find.”

Part of the issue lies upstream in design. Components are often developed with traditional manufacturing methods in mind, making them harder to adapt later.

“It’s not additive-first,” Hubley said. “We’re trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.”

Maheu said that approach limits the technology’s potential.

“We will not be competitive if we are fabricating in additive stuff that is designed to be milled,” she said.

Training is another factor. Bob Hendrick, president of CAMufacturing, said companies need a better understanding of the different additive processes and where each applies.

“Companies need to educate themselves on the different processes to see which one is appropriate,” he said.

At the same time, certification requirements in regulated industries continue to slow progress.

“Standards is definitely one of the bottlenecks,” Maheu said, noting that qualification and approval processes can add complexity and risk for companies considering new approaches.

“You need to untangle everything that is in the customer’s head in fear when it comes to standards and certification,” she said.

A question of readiness

Panelists agreed the technology itself is no longer the main barrier. Now, a lot of work still needs to be done to help manufacturers understand where it fits and how to apply it.

Hubley’s advice to companies was straightforward: “Start now. Start before a part is broken and you have to try to figure it out.”

That message echoed broader conversations across MMTS, where many sessions focused on putting advanced technologies to work on the shop floor.

For additive manufacturing, speakers suggested the next stage will depend on education, design practices and clearer pathways to implementation.

Other MMTS highlights

The overall show program also pointed to a broader set of priorities across Québec manufacturing:

Artificial intelligence: Sessions focused on identifying practical use cases and moving beyond early pilots
Productivity: Repeated emphasis on improving output and reducing inefficiencies
Aerospace and defence: Continued focus on supply chain capacity and investment
Digital systems: MES, data platforms and real-time visibility tools featured across the show floor

For highlights and photo gallery from MMTS, click here.

The post Additive manufacturing gains traction as adoption struggles to keep pace appeared first on Canadian Plastics.

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