3D Printing industry growth

Report Overview

The global 3D printing market size was valued at USD 16.75 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.3% from 2023 to 2030. The aggressive research & development in three-dimensional printing and the growing demand for prototyping applications from various industry verticals, particularly healthcare, automotive, and aerospace & defense, are expected to drive the growth of the market.

The use of 3D printing in industrial applications is usually referred to as additive manufacturing (AM). Additive manufacturing involves a layer-by-layer addition of material to form an object, referring to a three-dimensional file, with the help of software and a 3-dimensional printer. A relevant 3D printing technology is selected from the available set of technologies to implement the process. The last step involves the deployment of this process across different industry verticals based on the necessity.

The deployment includes providing installation services, offering consultation solutions, and customer support, as well as handling aspects related to copyrights, licensing, and patenting. 3D printing is benefiting manufacturers in terms of prototyping, designing of the structure and end products, modeling, and time to market. As a result, the production expenses have been reduced considerably, and the manufacturers are in a position to offer better products at reasonable prices. As a result of these benefits, the demand for 3D printers is expected to be triggered more in the coming years.

However, the prevailing misconceptions with respect to the prototyping processes held by small and medium-scale manufacturers are hindering the adoption of additive manufacturing. Companies involved in designing, particularly small-scale and medium-scale enterprises, are deliberating before considering investments in prototyping as accountable investments rather than trying to understand the advantages and benefits of prototyping. The general notion prevailing among these enterprises is that prototyping is merely an expensive phase prior to manufacturing. Such perceptions regarding prototyping, coupled with the lack of technical knowledge and a looming lack of standard process controls, are expected to hinder market growth.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the overall global economy and subsequently, the 3D printing industry. Initially, Europe and Asia Pacific were some of the worst affected regions in terms of the number of COVID-19 patients across the globe. Further, the situation worsened in the U.S. as well. Due to the rapid spread of the virus, the governments issued an order for the complete lockdown of some key cities. The complete lockdown affected the production of 3D printing manufacturers. This is attributed to the labor shortage and the complete disruption of logistics and supply chain in the nation. The halt in the production of 3D printing had an adverse impact on the overall market growth in the first and second quarters of 2020.

Printer Type Insights

The industrial printer segment led the market and accounted for more than 76.0% share of the global revenue in 2022. Based on the printer type, the industry has been further segmented into industrial and desktop 3D printers. The large share of industrial 3D printers can be attributed to the extensive adoption of industrial printers in heavy industries, such as automotive, electronics, aerospace and defense, and healthcare. Prototyping, designing, and tooling are some of the most common industrial applications across these industry verticals.

Extensive adoption of 3D printing for prototyping, designing, and tooling is contributing to the growing demand from the industrial sector. Hence, the industrial printers segment is expected to continue dominating during the forecast period. The adoption of desktop 3-dimensional printers was initially limited to hobbyists and small enterprises. However, they are being increasingly used for household and domestic purposes nowadays. The education sector, which comprises schools, educational institutes, and universities, is also deploying desktop printers for technical training and research purposes.

Small businesses are particularly adopting desktop printers and diversifying their business operations to offer 3D printing and other related services. For instance, the concept of ‘fabshops’ is gaining popularity in the U.S. These fabshops offer on-demand 3D printing of parts and components as per the designs and requirements provided by the customers. Hence, the demand for desktop printers is expected to rise significantly during the forecast period.

Report Coverage & Deliverables

PDF report & online dashboard will help you understand:

• Competitive benchmarking
• Historical data & forecasts
• Company revenue shares
• Regional opportunities
• Latest trends & dynamics

Technology Insights

The stereolithography segment led the market and accounted for more than a 10.0% share of the global revenue in 2022. Based on technology, segmentation has been divided into stereolithography, fuse deposition modeling (FDM), direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), selective laser sintering (SLS), inkjet, polyjet, laser metal deposition, electron beam melting (EBM), digital light processing, laminated object manufacturing, and others.

Stereolithography technology is one of the oldest and most conventional printing technologies. Although the advantages and ease of operations associated with stereolithography technology are encouraging the adoption of this technology, advances in technology and aggressive research and development activities undertaken by industry experts and researchers are opening opportunities for several other efficient and reliable technologies.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) accounted for a considerable revenue share in 2022 owing to the extensive adoption of the technology across various 3DP processes. The DLP, EBM, inkjet printing, and DMLS segments are expected to witness a growing adoption during the forecast period as these technologies are applicable in specialized additive manufacturing processes. The growing demand from aerospace and defense, healthcare, and automotive verticals would open opportunities for the adoption of these technologies.

Software Insights

The design software segment led the market and accounted for more than 36.70% share of the global revenue in 2022. It is expected to continue dominating the market during the forecast period. Based on software, the 3DP industry has been segmented into design software, inspection software, printer software, and scanning software. Design software is used for constructing the designs of the object to be printed, particularly in automotive, aerospace and defense, and construction and engineering verticals. Design software acts as a bridge between the objects to be printed and the printer’s hardware.

The demand for scanning software is estimated to grow on account of the growing trend of scanning objects and storing scanned documents. This ability to store the scanned images of the objects irrespective of their size or dimensions for 3-dimensional printing of these objects whenever necessary is expected to drive the scanning software segment during the forecast period. The scanning software segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 24.0% from 2023 to 2030 and generate considerable revenues during the forecast period in line with the growing adoption of scanners.

Application Insights

The prototyping segment led the market and accounted for more than 54.0% share of the global revenue in 2022. Based on application, the industry has been segmented further into prototyping, tooling, and functional parts. Prototyping segment accounted for the largest share in 2022 owing to an extensive adoption of the prototyping process across several industry verticals. The automotive, aerospace and defense verticals mainly use prototyping to design and develop parts, components, and complex systems precisely.

Prototyping allows manufacturers to achieve higher accuracy and develop reliable end products. Hence, the prototyping segment is expected to continue dominating the market during the forecast period. Functional parts include smaller joints and other metallic hardware connecting components. The accuracy and precise sizing of these functional parts are of paramount importance while developing machinery and systems. The functional parts segment is expected to expand at a significant CAGR of 24.0% from 2023 to 2030 in line with the increasing demand for designing and building functional parts.

Vertical Insights

The automotive segment led the market and accounted for more than 23.0% share of the global revenue in 2022. Based on vertical, the industry has been segmented into separate verticals for desktop and industrial 3D printing. The verticals considered for desktop 3DP comprise educational purposes, fashion, jewelry, objects, dental, food, and others. The verticals considered for industrial 3DP comprise automotive, aerospace and defense, healthcare, consumer electronics, industrial, power and energy, and others.

The aerospace and defense, healthcare, and automotive verticals are anticipated to contribute significantly to the growth of industrial additive manufacturing during the forecast period owing to the active adoption of technology in various production processes associated with these verticals. In the healthcare sector, AM helps in the development of artificial tissues and muscles, which replicate the natural human tissues and can be used in replacement surgeries. These capabilities are expected to help in driving the adoption of 3DP across the healthcare vertical and contribute significantly to the growth of the industrial segment.

The dental, fashion and jewelry, and food verticals are anticipated to contribute significantly to the growth of the desktop 3DP segment during the forecast period. The dental vertical dominated the market in 2022 and it is expected to continue dominating the market during the forecast period. The adoption of 3D printing in manufacturing imitation jewelry, miniatures, art and craft, and clothing and apparel is also gaining traction.

Material Insights

The metal segment led the market for 3D printing and accounted for more than 52.0% share of the global revenue in 2022. Moreover, the metal segment is anticipated to maintain its lead during the forecast period and is expected to expand at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Based on material, the industry has been segmented further into polymer, metal, and ceramic.

The polymer segment accounted for the second-largest revenue share in 2022. However, the metal segment is anticipated to keep dominating over the forecast period. The metal segment is also expected to grow at a highest CAGR of above 28.2% over the forecast years. Considering that additive manufacturing using ceramic material is fairly new, the increasing R&D for 3DP technologies such as FDM and inkjet printing has led to rising demand for ceramic AM. The segment is expected to grow at a high CAGR of more than 25% over the forecast period.

Component Insights

The hardware segment led the market and accounted for more than 64.01% share of the global revenue in 2022. The hardware segment has benefitted significantly from the growing necessity of rapid prototyping and advanced manufacturing practices. The growth of the hardware segment is primarily attributed to various factors such as rapid industrialization, increasing penetration of consumer electronic products, developing civil infrastructure, rapid urbanization, and optimized labor costs.

Based on components, the industry has been segmented further into hardware, software, and services. The 3DP hardware component segment has been bifurcated by printer type, technology, applications, vertical, and material. The software segment is further categorized by printer type and software type. The services segment is segregated only by the printer type. The software component segment is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

Regional Insights

North America led the market and accounted for more than 33.34% share of the global revenue in 2022. This can be attributed to the extensive adoption of additive manufacturing in the region. North American countries, such as the U.S. and Canada, have been among the prominent and early adopters of these technologies in various manufacturing processes. Europe happens to be the largest region in terms of its geographical footprint. It is home to several additive manufacturing industry players with strong technical expertise in additive manufacturing processes. Hence, the European market emerged as the second-largest regional market in 2021.

The Asia Pacific region is projected to expand at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This rapid adoption of AM in the Asia Pacific can be attributed to the developments and upgrades across the manufacturing industry within the region. The Asia Pacific region is also emerging as a manufacturing hub for the automotive and healthcare industries. A stronghold on the production of consumer electronics, coupled with rapid urbanization, is also contributing to the region’s rising demand for three-dimensional printing.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Market players in the market are improvising 3D printing technology continuously in response to the growing demand for 3D printing applications from the automotive, healthcare, aerospace, and defense verticals for manufacturing purposes. The key players are identifying potential for business transformation by adopting additive manufacturing into new product development processes.

Market leaders like Stratasys Ltd. are moving beyond prototyping toward utilizing the agility that 3D printing can contribute to the complete manufacturing value chain. With its innovative line of 3D printers featuring Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) and Selective Absorption Fusion (SAF) technology, the company can quickly and cost-effectively produce large end-use parts using additive manufacturing. Some prominent players in the global 3D printing market include:

• Stratasys, Ltd.
• Materialise
• EnvisionTec, Inc.
• 3D Systems, Inc.
• GE Additive
• Autodesk Inc.
• Made In Space
• Canon Inc.
• Voxeljet AG

3D Printing Market Report Scope

Report Attribute	Details
Market size value in 2023	USD 20.37 billion
Revenue forecast in 2030	USD 88.28 billion
Growth Rate	CAGR of 23.3% from 2023 to 2030
Base year for estimation	2022
Historical data	2017 – 2021
Forecast period	2023 – 2030
Quantitative units	Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2023 to 2030
Report coverage	Revenue forecast, company ranking, competitive landscape, growth factors, and trends
Segments Covered	Component, printer type, technology, software, application, vertical, material, region
Regional scope	North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; South America; MEA
Country scope	U.S.; Canada; Mexico; U.K.; Germany; France; Italy; Spain; Japan; China; India; South Korea; Singapore; Brazil
Key companies profiled	Stratasys, Ltd.; Materialise; EnvisionTec, Inc.; 3D Systems, Inc.; GE Additive; Autodesk Inc.; Made In Space; Canon Inc.; Voxeljet AG
Customization scope	Free report customization (equivalent to up to 8 analysts’ working days) with purchase. Addition or alteration to country, regional & segment scope.
Pricing and purchase options	Avail customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs.

Segments Covered in the Report

The report forecasts revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2017 to 2030. Additionally, the report covers shipment estimates and forecasts as well as ASP qualitative analysis from 2017 to 2030. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global 3D printing market report based on component, printer type, technology, software, application, vertical, material, and region:

• Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 – 2030)
  • Hardware
  • Software
  • Services
• Printer Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 – 2030)
  • Desktop 3D Printer
  • Industrial 3D Printer
• Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 – 2030)
  • Stereolithography
  • Fuse Deposition Modeling
  • Selective Laser Sintering
  • Direct Metal Laser Sintering
  • Polyjet Printing
  • Inkjet Printing
  • Electron Beam Melting
  • Laser Metal Deposition
  • Digital Light Processing
  • Laminated Object Manufacturing
  • Others
• Software Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 – 2030)
  • Design Software
  • Inspection Software
  • Printer Software
  • Scanning Software
• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 – 2030)
  • Prototyping
  • Tooling
  • Functional Parts
• 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
• Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 – 2030)
  • Polymer
  • Metal
  • Ceramic
• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 – 2030)
  • North America
    • U.S.
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • Europe
    • UK
    • Germany
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • Japan
    • India
    • South Korea
    • Singapore
  • South America
    • Brazil
  • Middle East & Africa