作為3D打印領域的兩大行業巨頭，Stratasys和3D Systems公司上季度的收入都有所下降。這昭示出一絲前景黯淡的意味。2012年到2014年生機勃勃的景象，似乎已成為一去不復返的歷史塵埃。

盡管人們對3D打印行業的整體預期依舊樂觀——到2020年，其市場規模預計將高達170億美元，但Stratasys和3D Systems2016年的日子可能很難熬。兩家公司都表示將削減成本，以應對嚴峻的挑戰。

首先是，潛在客戶開始減緩購買3D打印技術的步伐。高盛公司的分析師最近在研究報告中指出，這一趨勢“更像是行業大勢，而不是僅限于某些公司”。與此同時，3D打印廠商正在面臨新來者，尤其是惠普公司的激烈競爭。該公司有望在明年開始供應自己的3D打印機。

奧本海默公司分析師霍爾登?路易斯表示：“兩家大公司一直在不斷投資，自以為會保持線性增長。現在他們失去了這種勢頭，猛然發現自己的攤子鋪得太大了。”

那么，3D Systems和Stratasys是否到了開始裁員的時候了？從第三季度的收益電話會議來看，答案是肯定的。

“我們會在新產品上繼續投資，同時會堅定地優化成本結構，更好地配置資源來把握短期機遇。”3D Systems公司財務總監大衛?斯圖卡表示，這些堅定的舉措“包括進一步整合工廠，精簡人員。”

3D Systems計劃在2016年年中關閉一家位于馬薩諸塞州安多弗的工廠，這是該公司整合生產與研發計劃的一部分。在回復給《財富》雜志的郵件中，3D Systems發言人表示，公司已經“提出將安多弗工廠的大量員工調往其他工廠”，但在安多弗工廠的80-120名員工中，究竟有多少將被辭退，目前尚不明確。

在Stratasys公司的收益電話會議上，首席執行官大衛?賴斯也透露了類似的觀點。他表示公司將設法調整“成本和運營結構”。當然，Stratasys的子公司，位于布魯克林的桌面3D打印機廠商MakerBot，從今年4月開始已經進行了兩輪裁員。

3D打印設備和軟件廠商仍然難以找到產品的買家。這項技術在使用上仍然過于復雜，難以成為主流。“現在越來越清楚的是，這些機器難以使用。這會影響人們的購買意愿。”路易斯表示。

通用電氣等公司在部分業務中已經采用了3D打印技術，如生產客機發動機部件的通用電氣航空集團。該公司新型Leap引擎的燃油噴嘴就是完全用3D打印技術生產的。

3D打印技術能夠顛覆制造業的地方在于，它可以在工廠中批量生產部件，而不僅僅是偶爾制作一個原型，后者是目前的主流方式。然而，這種愿景尚未實現。

路易斯表示：“從長遠來看，這些機器擁有光明的前景。增材制造（additive manufacturing）可以實現很多減材制造（subtractive manufacturing）做不到的事情。隨著時間的推移，它們會被廣泛采用的。不過，這還需要付出巨大的努力。”（財富中文網）

譯者：嚴匡正

審校：任文科

3D printing companies Stratasys and 3D Systems painted a bleak picture about their businesses earlier lastmonth by reporting declining revenue in the latest quarter. It was a dramatic about-face compared to the buzz around the two giants from 2012 to 2014.

Even as projections about the overall 3D printing remain bright—it’s expected to be a $17 billion marketby the end of this decade—the next year will likely be a rough one forStratasys and 3D Systems. Both have promised to cut expenses while dealing with the serious challenges.

Potential customers are slowing their buying of 3D printing technology, a trend that Goldman Sachs analysts recently described in a note to investors as being “likely industry-wide more than company specific.” Meanwhile, makers of 3D printing technology are facing increased competition as newcomers enter the field, most notably HP Inc, which is expected to start shipping its own line of 3D printers next year.

“The two major companies, they wound up investing under the premise that growth was going to be fairly linear to the upside,” says Oppenheimer analyst Holden Lewis. “And when, at this point, that growth has stalled out, they find themselves largely overbuilt.”

Is it time to expect layoffs at 3D Systems and Stratasys? Judging from their recent third quarter calls with investors, the answer is yes.

“While we are continuing investments in new products … we are taking decisive steps to further reduce our cost structure and better prioritize our resources around near-term opportunities,” said David Styka, the chief financial and accounting officer at 3D Systems. And what are those steps? “These measures include additional facility consolidations and headcount reductions,” he added.

By mid-2016, 3D Systems plans to complete a phased closure of its facility in Andover, Mass., which is one part of the company’s effort to consolidate its manufacturing with its research and development. In an email to Fortune, a 3D Systems spokesman said the company has “offered to relocate many of our Andover-based employees to other facilities,” but how many of those workers will be laid off outright—the Andover facility employs 80 to 120—is unclear.

Stratasys CEO David Reis shared similar sentiments during his company’s earnings call, saying Stratasys would look to make adjustments in its “cost and operating structure.” Of course, Stratasys subsidiary MakerBot, the Brooklyn-based manufacturer of desktop 3D printers, has already weathered two rounds of layoffs since April.