3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing 2023-2033: Technology and Market Outlook

Since the invention of the first 3D printing technologies in the early 1980s, the 3D printing market has experienced a tremendous amount of growth, innovation, and interest. A niche technology until the expiration of a key patent in 2009, the 2010s allowed many startups to emerge offering cheap consumer-level 3D printers. The subsequent media frenzy in the early 2010s thrust 3D printing into the limelight; that frenzy was accompanied by major multinational corporations like Hewlett Packard and General Electric entering the 3D printing space. After years of hype, the industry has moved onto more critical examination of the value-add that effective additive manufacturing adoption brings to businesses and supply chains. Despite the obstacles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and persistent supply chain disruptions, the additive manufacturing market continues to find new applications and end-users. Understanding the evolution and current technical status of 3D printing is critical to understanding the future of this industry.

 

IDTechEx's 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing 2023-2033 report provides insight into the industry's growth and future through expansive analysis of every corner of the market, from hardware and materials to software and services to applications. Any company in the 3D printing supply chain or looking to enter the industry will find valuable insights in this report, like materials suppliers, printer manufacturers, service providers, end-users, and more. This report breaks down the hardware market into 17 technology segments and the materials market into 12 segments to create 80 forecast lines across 12 different forecasts. The forecasts provide a ten-year outlook for 3D printer installation base, new installations, replacement unit sales, revenue from 3D printer sales, demand for 3D printing materials, and revenue from 3D printing materials sales.

 

IDTechEx's 3D printing industry report examines the industry from a materials-centric perspective. Each materials category is discussed from a technology and materials standpoint, providing key technical insights into the major additive manufacturing subspecialities:

 

Across these categories, IDTechEx individually analyzes over 30 printing technologies by their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. In addition, information on hardware manufacturers, technology readiness levels, and key industries for each technology are provided to offer a full picture of each printing process from a technical and application perspective. Additionally, IDTechEx has conducted benchmarking studies within each material subspeciality to compare technologies by key parameters: build volume, build speed, resolution, price, and more. These comparisons were constructed through the extensive database of printer models and technical details collected by IDTechEx over the past seven years of 3D printing coverage. Through this impartial benchmarking, IDTechEx will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each technology for its end-users.

 

 

 

To complement expansive technology breakdowns, IDTechEx takes an in-depth look into the established material classes of polymer, metal, and ceramic materials, including photopolymer resins, thermoplastic powders, thermoplastic filaments, metal powders, and ceramic materials. This discussion includes properties, advantages, disadvantages, applications, and suppliers for each of the main material categories.

 

Rounding out this extensive technology and material breakdown is an in-depth discussion of post-processing, software, scanners, and services in 3D printing, all of which are becoming increasingly important to an industry targeting mass market adoption. The extent of additive manufacturing's penetration in different target industries, such as aerospace, healthcare, and automotive, is explored through selected use cases, key news, important 3D printing players, and relevant OEM end-users in each application area.

 

Lastly, IDTechEx presents its research conducted since 2014 to offer its perspective on the current status of the 3D printing market. This includes identification of the key 3D printer manufacturers by revenue, rankings of the dominant technology segments by market share, and emerging trends. IDTechEx's detailed industry analysis will also provide further context to the notable amount of movement in this industry with acquisitions, mergers, investments, and public offerings as additive manufacturing players position themselves for expansion.

 

Using extensive primary and secondary research, IDTechEx has constructed a detailed 10-year market forecast for the 3D printing market, looking at 3D printing hardware and materials through eighty different forecast lines. The hardware forecasts break the market down by install base, technology type, and unit sale type, while the materials forecasts segment the market into materials classes, polymer feedstock type, and metal feedstock type. This analysis reveals how hardware and materials sales will lead the industry to a $41 billion market size in 2033.

 

IDTechEx conducted exhaustive primary research with companies positioned throughout the entire 3D printing value chain for key insights into the trends impacting growth to 2033. This includes printer manufacturers, materials suppliers, software makers, and service providers. Over 125 company profiles have been included in the report including Stratasys, 3D Systems, EOS, Markforged, Evonik, and Covestro, amongst others. These profiles give insight into the companies leading the industry, their position amongst their competitors, and the opportunities and challenges they face in the future.

 

 

This report provides the following information:

 

Technology trends, materials trends, & manufacturer analysis

 

Market Forecasts & Analysis:

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