AM Doesn't Win on Cost — So Engineers Must Win on Value, Says Hubbell's Mulherin

The Hard Truth About Part Cost

Additive manufacturing has a perception problem, and it starts with the price tag. In an article published August 31, 2026, writer Laura Griffiths opens with a blunt assessment of where 3D printing stands against conventional processes:

Let's just get one thing of the way – additive manufacturing is expensive, okay?

The comparison to traditional manufacturing methods is rarely flattering. Put a printed part next to a machined or injection moulded equivalent, and the economics usually favor the incumbent process. As the article puts it:

Stick a 3D printed part side-by-side with a machined or injection moulded part and it's unlikely going to emerge victorious when it comes to cost.

There are exceptions. But this cost reality is precisely why the topic of value matters so much — understanding where AM's advantages deliver genuine economic sense is the difference between a justified program and an expensive experiment.

Step One: Start With the Problem

The article, which runs a 3-minute read, draws on insights from Kristin Mulherin, Director of Additive Manufacturing Technology at Hubbell, on how to weigh up the value of AM parts.

Mulherin's framework begins with a deceptively simple question: what problem are you trying to solve? Speed? Cost? Low volumes? Customisation? If a program isn't looking to gain anything specific from additive, making the case for its value becomes much harder. The guidance builds on previously covered best practices for selecting the right parts for AM — part selection and value assessment are two halves of the same discipline.

Elsewhere in Additive: Systems, Forums, and Post-Processing

The value conversation is playing out against continued investment across the sector. Valiant Products has expanded its advanced metal additive manufacturing capabilities, anchored by some of the industry's most advanced metal 3D printing systems (26 Aug 2026). On the standards and research side, the ASTM Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence hosts ICAM, a forum for the technical conversations that determine how additive and advanced manufacturing technologies move from research into use (17 Aug 2026).

Post-processing is getting serious attention too. Solukon's SPR-Pathfinder® PRO targets depowdering for the most complex LPBF parts, bringing simulation depth, process transparency, and accurate time prediction to demanding geometries (29 Jun 2026). Separately, a new industrial scanner combines 0.02 mm single-frame accuracy with Wi-Fi 6 wireless operation and marker-free optical tracking for inspection, reverse engineering, and on-site measurement (6 Jul 2026).

The Takeaway for Practitioners

Cost comparisons will keep favoring machining and injection molding on like-for-like parts. That's not a reason to walk away from AM — it's a reason to be disciplined about why you're using it. Define the problem first, then measure value against it.