This report has been updated. Click here to view latest edition.

If you have previously purchased the archived report below then please use the download links on the right to download the files.

3D Printed Electronics and Circuit Prototyping 2019-2029

Applications, Technologies, Players, Forecasts

Show All Description Contents, Table & Figures List FAQs Pricing Related Content
This report relates the emerging market for 3D printed electronics to the existing markets for printed electronics and 3D printing that IDTechEx has been researching for years. We explain why some candidate applications will not succeed commercially and identify main applications that will create a total market worth over $2bn by 2029 thanks to core advantages over competing technologies and huge addressable markets. In addition we explore many potential applications for fully 3D printed electronics.
 
This report discusses all existing and emerging technologies that span 3D printed electronics, all major applications, all players bringing products to market in this space. Specifically, the inkjetting of conductive and insulating inks, extrusion of conductive pastes and insulators and the Aerosol Jet technology.
 
The following technologies are covered in detail including lists of all major vendors for each technology type and SWOT analyses quantifying characteristics such as equipment and material prices, conductivities and precision:
 
  • Inkjetting conductive and insulating inks.
  • Extrusion of conductive metals and insulating thermoplastics.
  • Extrusion of conductive pastes and insulating thermoplastics.
  • Aerosol Jet.
 
The following materials are covered:
 
  • Metals.
  • Conductive thermoplastics.
  • Conductive inks.
  • Conductive pastes.
  • Conductive photopolymers.
 
Many potential commercial applications of 3D printed electronics are considered, most of which have already been demonstrated in the lab.
 
All major players are covered including SWOT analyses comparing their commercial products and technologies.
 
This report gives forecasts to 2029 broken down into the following market sectors:
 
1. Consumer.
2. Education.
3. Professional PCB prototyping.
4. Antenna manufacture
 
Restraints that are inhibiting the uptake of 3D printed electronics are covered as well as drivers.
Analyst access from IDTechEx
All report purchases include up to 30 minutes telephone time with an expert analyst who will help you link key findings in the report to the business issues you're addressing. This needs to be used within three months of purchasing the report.
Further information
If you have any questions about this report, please do not hesitate to contact our report team at research@IDTechEx.com or call one of our sales managers:

AMERICAS (USA): +1 617 577 7890
ASIA (Japan and Korea): +81 3 3216 7209
EUROPE (UK) +44 1223 812300
1.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1.Drivers and restraints
1.2.Total market forecast
1.3.Technologies
2.INTRODUCTION
2.1.Printed Electronics
2.2.Printed Electronics: commercial failures
2.3.Printed Electronics: commercial successes
2.4.3D Printing
2.5.3D Printing: commercial applications
2.6.3D Printing: hybrid machines
2.7.Lessons learned
3.TRADITIONAL PCBS
3.1.Traditional PCBs: history
3.2.Traditional PCBs: mounting components
3.3.Traditional PCBs: layers
3.4.Traditional PCBs: complexity
3.5.Traditional PCBs: geography
3.6.Traditional PCBs: prototyping
3.7.Traditional PCBs: mechanics
3.8.Traditional PCBs: heat
3.9.Traditional PCB: SWOT analysis
4.MATERIALS
4.1.Functional materials
4.2.Metals
4.3.Conductive thermoplastic filaments
4.4.Conductive plastics using graphene additives
4.5.Conductive plastics using carbon nanotube additives
4.6.Conductive inks
4.7.Ink requirements for 3D printed electronics
4.8.Conductive pastes
4.9.Conductive photopolymers
5.APPLICATIONS
5.1.Interconnects
5.2.Antennas
5.3.Microbatteries
5.4.Low volume manufacturing
5.5.Electromagnets
5.6.Ceramic capacitor
5.7.Organic Photovoltaic
5.8.Metamaterials
5.9.Ballistic rectifier
5.10.Piezoelectric device
6.TECHNOLOGIES
6.1.Extrude molten solder
6.2.Extrude molten solder: SWOT
6.3.Extrude conductive filament
6.4.Extrude conductive filament: SWOT
6.5.Inkjet
6.6.Inkjet: SWOT
6.7.Aerosol Jet
6.8.Aerosol Jet: SWOT
6.9.Paste extrusion
7.COMPETING TECHNOLOGIES
7.1.3D Printer and conductive ink/paste/glue
7.2.CNC Milling
7.3.Laser Direct Structuring (LDS)
7.4.Benchmarking different processes (IME, MID, 3DP, aerosol)
8.PLAYERS
8.1.Voltera
8.2.Voltera: SWOT
8.3.BotFactory
8.4.BotFactory: SWOT
8.5.Nano Dimension
8.6.Nano Dimension: SWOT
8.7.Ceradrop
8.8.Ceradrop: SWOT
8.9.Optomec
8.10.Optomec: SWOT
8.11.IDS
8.12.IDS: SWOT
8.13.Neotech AMT
8.14.Neotech AMT: comparison
8.15.Neotech AMT: SWOT
8.16.Novacentrix and nScrypt
8.17.Pulse Electronics
8.18.Deceased
9.RESEARCH INSTITUTES
9.1.University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
9.2.Cornell University
10.MARKETS AND FORECASTS
10.1.End users
10.2.Player classification
10.3.Technology strengths and weaknesses
10.4.Opportunities
10.5.Consumer market
10.6.Education and research market
10.7.Professional PCB prototyping market
10.8.Industrial market
10.9.Total market forecast
10.10.Limitations of the forecast
10.11.Conclusions
 

About IDTechEx reports

What are the qualifications of the people conducting IDTechEx research?

Content produced by IDTechEx is researched and written by our technical analysts, each with a PhD or master's degree in their specialist field, and all of whom are employees. All our analysts are well-connected in their fields, intensively covering their sectors, revealing hard-to-find information you can trust.

How does IDTechEx gather data for its reports?

By directly interviewing and profiling companies across the supply chain. IDTechEx analysts interview companies by engaging directly with senior management and technology development executives across the supply chain, leading to revealing insights that may otherwise be inaccessible.
 
Further, as a global team, we travel extensively to industry events and companies to conduct in-depth, face-to-face interviews. We also engage with industry associations and follow public company filings as secondary sources. We conduct patent analysis and track regulatory changes and incentives. We consistently build on our decades-long research of emerging technologies.
 
We assess emerging technologies against existing solutions, evaluate market demand and provide data-driven forecasts based on our models. This provides a clear, unbiased outlook on the future of each technology or industry that we cover.

What is your forecast methodology?

We take into account the following information and data points where relevant to create our forecasts:
  • Historic data, based on our own databases of products, companies' sales data, information from associations, company reports and validation of our prior market figures with companies in the industry.
  • Current and announced manufacturing capacities
  • Company production targets
  • Direct input from companies as we interview them as to their growth expectations, moderated by our analysts
  • Planned or active government incentives and regulations
  • Assessment of the capabilities and price of the technology based on our benchmarking over the forecast period, versus that of competitive solutions
  • Teardown data (e.g. to assess volume of materials used)
  • From a top-down view: the total addressable market
  • Forecasts can be based on an s-curve methodology where appropriate, taking into account the above factors
  • Key assumptions and discussion of what can impact the forecast are covered in the report.

How can I be confident about the quality of work in IDTechEx reports?

Based on our technical analysts and their research methodology, for over 25 years our work has regularly received superb feedback from our global clients. Our research business has grown year-on-year.
 
Recent customer feedback includes:
"It's my first go-to platform"
- Dr. Didi Xu, Head of Foresight - Future Technologies, Freudenberg Technology Innovation
 
"Their expertise allows us to make data-driven, strategic decisions and ensures we remain aligned with the latest trends and opportunities in the market."
- Ralf Hug, Global Head of Product Management & Marketing, Marquardt

What differentiates IDTechEx reports?

Our team of in-house technical analysts immerse themselves in industries over many years, building deep expertise and engaging directly with key industry players to uncover hard-to-find insights. We appraise technologies in the landscape of competitive solutions and then assess their market demand based on voice-of-the-customer feedback, all from an impartial point of view. This approach delivers exceptional value to our customers—providing high-quality independent content while saving customers time, resources, and money.

Why should we pick IDTechEx research over AI research?

A crucial value of IDTechEx research is that it provides information, assessments and forecasts based on interviews with key people in the industry, assessed by technical experts. AI is trained only on content publicly available on the web, which may not be reliable, in depth, nor contain the latest insights based on the experience of those actively involved in a technology or industry, despite the confident prose.

How can I justify the ROI of this report?

Consider the cost of the IDTechEx report versus the time and resources required to gather the same quality of insights yourself. IDTechEx analysts have built up an extensive contact network over many years; we invest in attending key events and interviewing companies around the world; and our analysts are trained in appraising technologies and markets.
 
Each report provides an independent, expert-led technical and market appraisal, giving you access to actionable information immediately, rather than you having to spend months or years on your own market research.

Can I speak to analysts about the report content?

All report purchases include up to 30 minutes of telephone time with an expert analyst who will help you link key findings in the report to the business issues you're addressing. This needs to be used within three months of purchasing the report.

What is the difference between a report and subscription?

A subscription from IDTechEx can include more reports, access to an online information platform with continuously updated information from our analysts, and access to analysts directly.

Before purchasing, I have some questions about the report, can I speak to someone?

Please email research@idtechex.com stating your location and we will quickly respond.

About IDTechEx

Who are IDTechEx's customers?

IDTechEx has served over 35,000 customers globally. These range from large corporations to ambitious start-ups, and from Governments to research centers. Our customers use our work to make informed decisions and save time and resources.

Where is IDTechEx established?

IDTechEx was established in 1999, and is headquartered in Cambridge, UK. Since then, the company has significantly expanded and operates globally, having served customers in over 80 countries. Subsidiary companies are based in the USA, Germany and Japan.

Questions about purchasing a report

How do I pay?

In most locations reports can be purchased by credit card, or else by direct bank payment.

How and when do I receive access to IDTechEx reports?

When paying successfully by credit card, reports can be accessed immediately. For new customers, when paying by bank transfer, reports will usually be released when the payment is received. Report access will be notified by email.

How do I assign additional users to the report?

Users can be assigned in the report ordering process, or at a later time by email.

Can I speak to someone about purchasing a report?

Please email research@idtechex.com stating your location and we will quickly respond.
 
The market for 3D printed electronics will exceed two billion dollars by 2029

Report Statistics

Slides 112
Forecasts to 2029
 

Customer Testimonial

quote graphic
"The resources produced by IDTechEx are a valuable tool... Their insights and analyses provide a strong foundation for making informed, evidence-based decisions. By using their expertise, we are better positioned to align our strategies with emerging opportunities."
Director of Market Strategy
Centre for Process Innovation (CPI)
 
 
 

Subscription Enquiry