AM Research has released its latest quarterly data and forecast report

Recently, additive manufacturing research company AM Research released its latest quarterly data and forecast report, which deeply analyzes the latest developments in the global 3D printing market, covering multidimensional analysis of suppliers, printing technology, geographic location, and application areas.

According to the report, the global 3D printing market once again demonstrates strong growth potential, with a market size of 3.45 billion US dollars in the second quarter of 2024, achieving a steady growth of 8.4% compared to the same period last year. Although this figure is slightly lower than the first quarter's $3.47 billion, the overall resilience of the market is fully reflected, especially the significant growth in additive manufacturing services, which effectively offset the slight decline in equipment sales.

In the field of metals, what is particularly noteworthy this quarter is that directional energy deposition technology has become the only technological highlight to achieve year-on-year growth. The overall value of the metal additive manufacturing industry reached $1.4 billion, with a year-on-year growth rate of up to 10.0%. Even against the backdrop of a 2.2% decline in printer sales, this growth remains strong. At the same time, the market size of polymer additive manufacturing reached 2.05 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 7.4%, although its printer sales also slightly declined (0.5%). Of particular note is the outstanding performance in the field of 3D printing services, with a total value of 1.87 billion US dollars and a year-on-year growth rate of 12%, further demonstrating the market vitality and potential of additive manufacturing services.
BMW Group uses arc additive manufacturing for automotive manufacturing

Scott Dunham, Executive Vice President of AM Research, pointed out that since the beginning of 2023, despite facing unfavorable factors such as rising interest rates, many listed additive manufacturing companies have encountered challenges in equipment sales, but this situation has not stopped the development pace of the entire industry. The utilization rate of installed additive manufacturing equipment has reached a historic high, while some leading suppliers such as EOS, DMG Mori, Nikon SLM Solutions, as well as Chinese companies such as Huashu High tech and Platinum Technology, have achieved positive results in adversity, demonstrating optimistic market prospects.

Predicting a strong rebound in the market by 2025
Looking ahead, AM Research predicts that by 2025, with the expected decrease in interest rates and the rebound of this year's sluggish market, the printer sales market is expected to achieve a significant growth of 30%. In addition, the report highlights significant developments within several industries, among which the dental industry, as the largest market for polymer 3D printing, achieved a historic milestone in the second quarter of 2024. Industry giants such as Align Technologies have begun to shift from indirect production to direct production of their transparent dental braces, and China Qingfeng Technology's direct 3D printed invisible braces have also obtained certification from China's NMPA. These transformations mark an important step forward in the application of 3D printing technology in the field of dentistry.

Application of DED 3D Printing in the Maritime Field

More and more invisible braces will be directly 3D printed

In the field of metal equipment, the rise of DED technology has become a highlight of this quarter, driven mainly by the increasing attractiveness of wire DED technology and the widespread application of powder DED in coated components such as brake rotors. These technological advancements not only demonstrate the multifunctionality of DED in industrial applications, but also indicate its broad prospects in the future market.

The AM Research report not only provides detailed market data, but also includes in-depth insights from industry leaders such as 3D Systems, Stratasys, Markforged, Desktop Metal, Velo3D, Nikon SLM Solutions, EOS, GE Additive, TRUMPF, Farsoon, BLT, HBD, Eplus, Optomec, BeAM, HP, Formlabs, Prodways, DWS, and Carbon, among many well-known companies.

Source: Yangtze River Delta Laser Alliance