The State of AM in Asia

Host Fabian Alefeld speaks with Japan-based additive manufacturing consultant Peter Rogers about the state of additive manufacturing across Asia Pacific. Rogers contrasts Japan’s advanced but risk-averse manufacturing culture - strong in incremental optimization, with slower certification (notably medical) and limited defense budgets - with faster-moving but smaller markets like Australia/New Zealand, where mining drives demand for rapid, remote part supply. They discuss China’s manufacturing scale and government support, its growing dominance in desktop FDM, and how low-cost Chinese metal PBF machines can win and retain service-bureau business despite Western strengths in quality and productivity. Singapore is highlighted for academia and MRO, while Korea spans shipbuilding, semicon, automotive, and defense. Southeast Asia is still production-focused with limited local R&D, whereas India is rising as an English-speaking engineering and R&D hub for global OEMs. Both see lowering costs and AI enabling broader, consumer-facing AM applications.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:49 Peter Rogers Background

03:32 Moving to Japan

05:12 APAC Additive Overview

09:23 China Manufacturing Dynamics

13:27 Reshoring and Kaizen Mindset

18:45 Traditional Skills vs Additive

20:57 Japan Nearing Inflection Point

25:06 Top APAC Applications

29:02 Japan Korea Industry Mix

30:31 China Scale And Funding

33:18 FDM Race To Bottom

34:27 Bambu Ecosystem Advantage

36:53 Metal AM Price Expansion

38:23 Chinese Metal Machines Case

40:30 Competing On Productivity

44:10 Southeast Asia Adoption

47:06 India RnD Powerhouse

49:46 Future Consumer Breakthroughs

52:40 Japan Pushing DED Limits

55:30 AI Lowers Barriers

57:13 Wrap Up And Farewell

Creators and Guests

Host

Fabian Alefeld

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Join host Fabian Alefeld and a range of guests as they discuss all things additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing news, with interviews and real-world stories to educate and entertain. Each episode, Fabian talks to AM experts, professionals in specialist fields, and 3D printing users from all walks of life to deliver a well-rounded view on the state of AM.

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