3D Printing Industry Overview

The global 3D printing market size is expected to reach USD 88,281.2 million by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 23.5% from 2024 to 2030.  3D Printing (3DP) is also referred to as Additive Manufacturing (AM) as it involves successive addition of layers of materials in various 2D shapes using an additive process. These layered 2D shapes build upon one another to form a three-dimensional object. The process is different from the subtractive method of production, which begins with a block of material and the unnecessary material is ground out to obtain the desired object.

3D printing is widely adopted in the industrial sector owing to the growing need for enhanced product manufacturing and a shorter time to market. The industrial vertical happens to be the most significant adopter of the 3D printing technology, eventually leading to the largest market share of 3D printers for industrial applications over the forecast period. Additive manufacturing is anticipated to evolve over the forecast period.

3D printing continues to gain popularity among hobbyists and innovators. While individuals are using 3D printing for domestic and personal purposes, universities and educational institutes are using 3D printing for conducting technical training. The market is subject to witness a considerable economical appearance rather than being just a labor-intensive industrial manufacturing technique. Particularly in developing economies, such as Brazil, South Africa, and India, machining shops have managed to adopt alternative business models by installing 3D printers and offering related services, such as 3D printing materials, filaments, 3D modeling, and 3D printer software.

Gather more insights about the market drivers, restrains and growth of the 3d Printing Market

Apart from the industrial vertical, the automotive, healthcare, and aerospace & defense verticals are among the leading adopters of 3D printing technology. Incumbents of these verticals have an emphasis on accuracy, enhanced product designing, reliability, shorter time to market, and economical production processes. Given that additive manufacturing can offer all these benefits, the adoption of three-dimensional printers by the automotive, healthcare, and aerospace & defense verticals is expected to gain traction over the forecast period.

3D printing and related technologies are evolving continuously in line with the intensive R&D activities being undertaken, and the aggressive investments being made by the private and the public sectors. Government funding and encouraging initiatives being undertaken in developed economies are prompting manufacturers to pursue improvements in technology and the adoption of new technologies.

North America accounted for the largest revenue share of more than 34.0% in 2023, as a result of the extensive adoption of 3D printers for 3D designing, 3D modeling, and 3D manufacturing in several industries. The Asia Pacific region has emerged as a manufacturing hub owing to an expanding consumer base as well as the continued foreign investments happening in the region. The Asia Pacific market is expected to witness remarkable growth over the forecast period.

3D printing technology happens to be a capital-intensive technology. At the same time, manufacturers are holding on to their misconception about prototyping, rather than realizing the advantages associated with 3D printing. Moreover, the market lacks the standard process controls and a skilled workforce required for 3D printing. These are some of the factors that are expected to restrain the market growth. However, government initiatives aimed at increasing awareness and promoting the benefits of adopting 3D printers are expected to help in countering the market restraints.

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3D Printing Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global 3D printing market based on component, printer type, technology, software, application, vertical, material, and region: 

3D Printing Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

• Hardware
• Software
• Services

3D Printing Printer Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

• Desktop 3D Printer
• Industrial 3D Printer

3D Printing Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

• Stereolithography
• Fuse Deposition Modelling
• Selective Laser Sintering
• Direct Metal Laser Sintering
• Polyjet Printing
• Inkjet printing
• Electron Beam Melting
• Laser Metal Deposition
• Digital Light Processing
• Laminated Object Manufacturing
• Others

3D Printing Software Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

• Design Software
• Inspection Software
• Printer Software
• Scanning Software

3D Printing Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

• Prototyping
• Tooling
• Functional Parts

3D Printing Vertical Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

• Industrial 3D Printing
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace & Defense
  • Healthcare
  • Consumer Electronics
  • Power & Energy
  • Others
• Desktop 3D Printing
  • Educational Purpose
  • Fashion & Jewelry
  • Objects
  • Dental
  • Food
  • Others

3D Printing Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

• Polymer
• Metal
• Ceramic

3D Printing Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

• North America
  • US
  • Canada
  • Mexico
• Europe
  • UK
  • Germany
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • Japan
  • India
  • South Korea
  • Australia
  • Singapore
• South America
  • Brazil
• Middle East and Africa (MEA)
  • KSA
  • UAE
  • South Africa

Key Companies profiled:

• 3D Systems, Inc.
• 3DCeram
• Arcam AB
• Autodesk, Inc.
• Canon, Inc.
• Dassault Systemes
• EnvisionTec, Inc.
• EOS (Electro Optical Systems) GmbH
• ExOne
• GE Additive
• HP Inc.
• us
• Materialise NV
• Optomec, Inc.
• Organovo Holdings Inc.
• Proto Labs, Inc.
• Shapeways, Inc.
• Stratasys Ltd.
• Tiertime
• Voxeljet AG

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Some of the key players operating in the market include 3D Systems, Inc. and Materialise among others.

• 3D Systems, Inc. is the U.S.-based technology company. The company is involved in the development of Desktop 3D printing products and services such as 3D printers, materials, software, 3D scanners and virtual surgical simulators and haptic design tools. Additionally, the company serves its customers with 3D solutions to manufacture and design complex and unique parts, produce parts locally to reduce the lead time, and eliminate expensive tooling, among others. The company caters to numerous industries and verticals such as aerospace & defense, automotive, healthcare, educational, durable goods, and entertainment.
• Materialise is a Belgium-based technology company operating in the additive manufacturing industry. The company is actively involved in the field of Desktop 3D printing to develop a broad range of software solutions, Desktop 3D printing services, and engineering. The company primarily caters to the industries such as healthcare, aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, and art & design.

Recent Developments

• In March 2023, 3D Systems, Inc. announced the launch of NextDent Cast and NextDent Base, two new printing materials, and NextDent LCD1, a printing platform. The materials are designed to enhance material properties, and the printing platform is an easy-to-use small-format printer. With these launches, the company aimed to aid its customers in accelerating additive manufacturing adoption.
• In November 2023, Autodesk Inc. announced the launch of Autodesk AI. This new technology is available in Autodesk products and is designed to provide customers with generative capabilities and intelligent assistance. With the launch of this new technology in Autodesk products, the company aimed to minimize errors by automating repetitive tasks and the needs of its customers.
• In February 2022, Dassault Systèmes has announced a strategic partnership with Cadence Design Systems, Inc. to provide integrated solutions for the development of high-performance electronic systems to enterprise customers in a variety of vertical markets, such as high tech, industrial equipment, and transportation and mobility, aerospace and defense, and healthcare.

Order a free sample PDF of the 3d Printing Market Intelligence Study, published by Grand View Research.