The global 3D printing market size is calculated at USD 24.61 billion in 2024 and is expected to attain around USD 117.78 billion by 2033, growing at a solid CAGR of 19% from 2024 to 2033.
The 3D printing market, also known as additive manufacturing, encompasses the technologies, materials, and services involved in creating three-dimensional objects from digital models. 3D printing is the method of producing three-dimensional items from digital data using additive processes. It is the inverse of subtractive manufacturing, which involves cutting or hollowing out a block of material.
3D printing is used in various industries, including consumer and commercial items, dental products, prostheses, architectural scale models, and fossil reconstruction. Rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing are two ways of 3D printing, with rapid prototyping being a quick and inexpensive option.
3D Printing Market Key Insights
- North America dominated the 3D printing market with the largest market share of 34.14% in 2023.
- Europe is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period.
- By printer type, the industrial printer segment has contributed more than 77% of market share in 2023.
- By printer type, desktop 3-D printers are anticipated to expand at the fastest pace during the forecast period.
- By technology, the stereolithography segment accounted for the largest market share of 11% in 2023.
- By application, the prototyping segment has generated more than 55% of the market share in 2023.
- By application, the functional part segment is anticipated to expand at the fastest rate during the forecast period.
- By vertical, the automotive segment has captured more than 25% of the market share in 2023.
- By material, the metal segment has contributed the biggest market share of 65% in 2023.
Regional Outlook of 3D Printing Market
The North America region occupied the highest market share of 34.14 in 2023.
The North American 3D printing industry is expanding due to reasons such as improved material use, fewer human mistakes, product customization, and shorter production delays. The United States and Canada were early users of 3D printing technology in a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, healthcare, and defense. Government initiatives and R&D funding are driving up the usage of 3D printing in North America. New product launches, mergers, and acquisitions are all using 3D printing’s potential. The aerospace, healthcare, industrial, defense, and consumer products industries are also expanding. Government entities are investing in 3D printing technology.
Europe is expected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. Europe is a key location for 3D printing technology, allowing SMEs to create fast, durable, and cost-effective prototypes. This technology is challenging traditional manufacturing in a variety of industries, including industrial products, aerospace, automotive, military, healthcare, and education. Despite high initial expenditures, the business is expanding fast in industries like health and aviation despite major implementation challenges.
- In July 2024, AIM3D, a pioneer in 3D printing with pellets utilizing extrusion printers, was granted fundamental patents in the United States and Europe, assuring comprehensive protection for its technology and securing its leadership position in small, decentralized pellet extruders and high-temperature material extrusion printing.
- In November 2023, Ricoh, a Japanese photography and electronics company, teamed up with Belgian 3D printing startup Materialize to create 3D models of patient anatomy. The alliance intends to bring point-of-care 3D printing to hospitals in the United States, allowing physicians to readily request and explain procedures.
- In October 2023, Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc. now sells 3D printing filaments in North America, beginning with XYRON resin and extending to Thermylene polypropylene.
3D Printing Market Report Coverage:
| Report Attribute | Key Statistics |
| 3D Printing Market Size by 2033 | USD 117.78 Billion |
| 3D Printing Market Size in 2024 | USD 24.61 Billion |
| Growth Rate from 2024 to 2033 | CAGR of 19% |
| Largest Market | North America |
| Base Year | 2023 |
| Historical Year | 2021-2022 |
| Forecast Year | 2024 to 2033 |
| Segments Covered | Component, Printer Type, Technology, Application, Vertical, Material and Regions |
| Regions Covered | North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa |
| Companies Covered | Stratasys Ltd., EnvisionTec, Inc., Materialise, 3D Systems, Inc., Autodesk Inc., GE Additive, Voxeljet AG, Made In Space, Canon Inc. |
3D Printing Market Segments Outlook
Printer Outlook
The industrial printer segment dominated the 3D printing market in 2023. Industrial-grade 3D printers provide various advantages for design and production processes, including time savings, customization, risk mitigation, flexibility, fast adjustments, sustainability, accessibility to all markets and budgets, and quality control capabilities. They enable fast modifications, may be readily halted for crises, and provide a lean company model with the creative potential of a manufacturing powerhouse.
The desktop 3D printers segment is anticipated to expand at the fastest pace during the forecast period. Desktop 3D printers are used for small-batch production in industrial design, education, animation, and lighting. They are more customized and cost-effective than industrial 3D printers, which have higher production capabilities and printing platforms. They are used in the aerospace, automotive, medical, electrical industries, and dental medicine.
Technology Outlook
The stereolithography segment dominated the 3D printing market in 2023. Stereolithography (SLA) is a fast-prototyping technique that uses a liquid polymer material to build 3D components layer by layer. A laser hardens the resin, tracking the contour of each layer based on a computerized 3D model. This technology is widely used in fields such as engineering, product design, and medicine to create elaborate, detailed prototypes. SLA’s ability to create complicated shapes and smooth surfaces as shortened product development cycles and transforms prototype manufacturing.
- In July 2024, Fugo Precision 3D announced the Fugo Model A stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing system, claiming to be the first centrifugal 3D printer to provide layerless printing with sub-30-micron precision.
Application Outlook
The prototyping segment dominated the 3D printing market in 2023. This approach is adaptable, simple to spot faults, and may be improved for future applications. It provides customers with pleasure and comfort, is appropriate for online systems, and improves developer and user understanding of the system. Integration needs are well known, and deployment channels are selected early. Users may actively engage in the development process, making it an excellent solution for complicated projects.
The functional part segment is anticipated to expand at the fastest rate during the forecast period. SLA-printed items have exceptional strength, making them suitable for practical prototypes, production equipment, and end-use parts such as drones and plastic hinges. This makes SLA an excellent alternative for prototype and manufacturing.
Vertical Outlook
The automotive segment dominated the 3D printing market in 2023. The automobile sector is seeing a surge in interest in 3D printing as materials and technology advance on a constant basis. This has resulted in a rise in 3D automotive developments. While the completely 3D-printed automobile may not yet be on the road, additive manufacturing is currently being used in a variety of areas, including product development and production. This technique can reduce proof-of-concept and manufacturing time, save money on tooling procedures, and give a significant competitive edge.
- For instance, in July 2024, McLaren partnered with Divergent Technologies for Advanced 3D Printing for next-generation supercars, focusing on performance, sustainability, and efficiency, reducing weight, and integrating complex designs into vehicle architecture.
Material Outlook
The metal segment dominated the 3D printing market in 2023. Metal 3D printing provides several commercial benefits, such as shorter product development cycles, lower manufacturing costs, and increased manufacturing flexibility. It shortens development processes, decreasing iterations and lowering risks. Metal additive manufacturing enables rapid prototyping of functional parts, which reduces factory spin-up time. Furthermore, it eliminates wasteful production operations, helping businesses to become more agile and responsive. Markforged’s 3D metal manufacturing technique is easy to use.
3D Printing Market Dynamics
Driver: Flexibility
3D printing has a big edge over traditional manufacturing techniques since it can produce practically anything within its build volume. This is because the design is entered into slicer software, any necessary supports are added, and the final product is produced with little changes to actual gear or equipment.
3D printing also enables the development and manufacturing of geometries that would be hard to achieve using older technologies, such as hollow holes inside solid objects and parts within parts. It also enables the incorporation of different materials into a single item, enabling a variety of colors, textures, and mechanical qualities to be combined and matched. Furthermore, 3D printing enables anyone, including those with no CAD experience, to change designs and produce unique, customized new components.
Restraint: Slow production speeds
The 3D printing market continues to lag traditional mechanized equipment in terms of speed and efficiency, limiting their use in mass serial production industries such as automotive and consumer products.
Manufacturers are focusing on increasing throughput and improving existing technologies, such as EOS’ Laser Pro Fusion and Aurora Labs’ Multilevel Concurrent Printing. However, validating manufacturing speed promises necessitates significant technological innovation, and advancements are projected to continue.
Opportunity: Quality and cyber security assurance
3D printing is transforming industries by enabling more integrated manufacturing environments. However, firms must verify that their 3D-printed items fulfill quality standards and retain data ownership. As production moves into the digital era, data management becomes increasingly important. Quality assurance entails carefully selecting production partners, verifying their skills, and assuring reproducible components.
Design data should be retained in the appropriate hands, and companies should enforce production parameters by encrypting it. Manufacturing data collection and analysis allows for the rapid detection of errors, refining the process and guaranteeing that all quality criteria are satisfied.
3D Printing Market Top 9 Companies
- Stratasys Ltd.
- GE Additive
- Materialise
- Autodesk Inc.
- 3D Systems, Inc.
- Voxeljet AG
- EnvisionTec, Inc.
- Made In Space
- Canon Inc.
Recent Developments:
- In July 2024, Rosotics intends to establish enormous orbital shipyards using 3D printing, launching several spacecraft with smaller autonomous spacecraft to construct 3D-printed orbital shipways and fuel stores in low Earth orbit.
- In July 2024, Carbon, Inc. verified SprintRay’s OnX Tough 2 resin for use with Carbon M-series printers, marking the first partnership between the two 3D printing firms and bringing OnX Tough 2’s reliable performance to Carbon’s cutting-edge platform.
- In July 2024, During the Virgin Galactic 07 trip, scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, successfully tested SpaceCAL, a next-generation microgravity 3D printer. The experiments involved printing four PEGDA products, including space shuttle replicas and tugboats.
- In July 2024, UpNano GmbH in Vienna created a 3D-printed fused quartz item production method that allows for high-precision shaped components in the mm and cm range by combining Glassomer GmbH’s unique technology with UpNano’s NanoOne high-resolution printing equipment.
Segments Covered in the Report
By Component
- Software
- Hardware
- Services
By Printer Type
- Industrial 3D Printer
- Desktop 3D Printer
By Technology
- Selective Laser Sintering
- Stereolithography
- Fuse Deposition Modeling
- Direct Metal Laser Sintering
- Inkjet Printing
- Polyjet Printing
- Electron Beam Melting
- Laminated Object Manufacturing
- Digital Light Processing
- Laser Metal Deposition
- Others
By Application
- Functional Parts
- Tooling
- Prototyping
By Vertical
- Industrial 3D Printing
- Automotive
- Aerospace & Defense
- Healthcare
- Consumer Electronics
- Industrial
- Power & Energy
- Others
- Desktop 3D Printing
- Educational Purpose
- Fashion & Jewelry
- Objects
- Dental
- Food
- Others
By Material
- Metal
- Polymer
- Ceramic
By Region
- North America
- Europe
- Asia Pacific
- Latin America
- Middle East and Africa (MEA)
