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3D Printing 2017-2027: Technologies, Markets, Players

Current usage, future applications and market forecasts

2018-2028 version coming soon!
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3D printing has received much attention in the press over recent years. Hyped as the technology to bring about a 3rd industrial revolution, 3D printing technologies were in fact invented in the early 80s. They remained a niche technology until the expiration of a key patent in 2009 allowed many start-ups to emerge offering cheap consumer-level 3D printers. A media frenzy in 2012 thrust 3D printing into the limelight and 2016 has seen Hewlett Packard and General Electric enter the 3D printing space. Even after the media hype some market sectors are still reporting huge growth rates.
 
3D printing encompasses a variety of different printing processes. The processes are all primarily additive in nature, as materials are deposited only where needed, and thus results in significantly less materials wastage than traditional manufacturing techniques. Each of the technologies is suitable for use with a different range of materials, which in turn defines the suitable applications of the printer.
 
Originally used for the rapid production of prototypes for form and fit testing, applications are transitioning towards also functional testing of prototypes under working conditions, and further, the manufacture of final products.
 
With 3D printing designs are not constrained by manufacturing limitations and design complexity no longer adds cost. This opens up design avenues and enables the economic production of lighter components, critical to the aerospace and automotive industries. Applications are also emerging in the medical and dental fields, where the opportunity afforded by cheap mass customisation is allowing surgeons to replicate a patient's body based on MRI and CT scans in order to practice difficult invasive procedures, and medical and dental implants which are fully customised to a particular individual can be generated.
This report discusses all of the commercially-significant existing technologies and promising emerging technologies in depth, and analyses both the current and future markets for 3D printing. The market structure is also detailed, and we present profiles of the major players together with insights gained from in-depth interviews with a range of companies involved in 3D printing. We also present detailed forecasts for the future of the 3D printing market.
 
The following technologies are covered in detail including lists of all major vendors for each technology type and SWOT analyses with quantitative data and references to vendors:
 
  • Stereolithography
  • Digital Light Processing
  • Inkjetted photopolymers
  • Thermoplastic extrusion
  • Selective Laser Sintering of plastics
  • Selective Laser Melting of metals
  • Blown metal powder
  • Welding
  • Sand binding
  • Binder jetted into metal powder (by ExOne)
  • Smooth Curvature Printing (by Solidscape)
  • Selective Deposition Lamination (by Mcor Technologies)
  • Hybrid CNC
 
This report gives forecasts to 2027 in the following forms:
 
1. Market forecast by industry (bioprinting, automotive, aerospace, consumer products, medical, oil & gas, hobbyist, dental, education and jewelry)
2. Market share by industry
3. Market forecast growth by industry
4. Market forecast by revenue stream (printer, materials, services)
5. Market forecast for printers and materials by price.
6. Market forecast for printers and materials by technology type.
7. Mapping the 3DP landscape by size, precision, speed and price.
 
Applications are detailed for:
  • Manufacture of flight-critical production parts in metals
  • Mold making for metal casting
  • Edutainment
  • Art
  • Modelling
  • Rapid prototyping
  • Tooling
The aerospace industry, an established end user of 3D printing, has the highest growth rate of any end user industry. The trillion dollar oil and gas industry is an emerging user of 3D printing with the second highest forecast growth. When significant penetration has occurred into the above markets, 3D printing in these big industries will lock into the capital expenditure cycles associated with them, and, as is the case for other CNC machines, periodic fluctuations in sales will occur -- growth will not be steady and monotonic.
 
Over 90 3D printing companies are profiled, and the report is also informed by interviews with companies and institutions throughout the value chain.
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1.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1.Executive summary: geographic breakdown
1.2.Executive summary: market forecast
1.3.Executive summary: challenges
2.INTRODUCTION
2.1.3D Printing is...
2.2.Advantages of 3D printing: rapid prototyping
2.3.Advantages of 3D printing: price
2.4.Advantages of 3D printing: design freedom
2.5.Advantages of 3D printing: more...
2.6.A brief history of 3D printing
2.7.Emergence of consumer-level 3D printing
2.8.Value chains: vendor lock-in
2.9.Value chains: free market materials
2.10.Value chain determines material prices
2.11.Broad spectrum
3.KEY DRIVERS AND RESTRAINTS
3.1.Drivers
3.2.Restraints
4.PRINTING PROCESSES AND MATERIALS
4.1.The main process-material relationships
4.2.Welding
4.3.Welding: key players
4.4.Welding: equipment costs
4.5.Welding: SWOT analysis
4.6.Blown powder
4.7.Blown powder: key players
4.8.Blown powder: equipment costs
4.9.Directed Energy Deposition
4.10.Selective laser melting
4.11.Selective laser melting: key players
4.12.Selective laser melting: SWOT analysis
4.13.Electron beam melting
4.14.Electron beam melting: key players
4.15.Electron beam melting: SWOT analysis
4.16.Metal+binder
4.17.Metal+binder: key players
4.18.Metal + Binder
4.19.Sand+binder
4.20.Sand+binder: key players
4.21.Sand + Binder
4.22.Selective laser sintering
4.23.Selective laser sintering: key players
4.24.Selective laser sintering: equipment cost
4.25.SLS
4.26.Thermoplastic extrusion
4.27.Thermoplastic extrusion: Key Players
4.28.Thermoplastic extrusion: Machine prices
4.29.Thermoplastic extrusion: Build volume
4.30.Thermoplastic extrusion: Build speed
4.31.Extrusion (FDM/FFF/TPE)
4.32.Stereolithography (SLA)
4.33.Digital Light Processing (DLP)
4.34.SLA/DLP: key players
4.35.Vat Photopolymerisation: equipment cost
4.36.Vat Photopolymerisation (SLA/DLP)
4.37.Material Jetting
4.38.Material Jetting: key players
4.39.Material Jetting
4.40.Smooth curvature printing
4.41.Smooth curvature printing: key players
4.42.Smooth curvature printing: SWOT analysis
4.43.Selective Deposition Lamination (SDL)
4.44.Selective Deposition Lamination: key players
4.45.Selective Deposition Lamination: equipment cost
4.46.Selective Deposition Lamination: SWOT analysis
4.47.Hybrid CNC
5.MARKET STRUCTURE
5.1.Main players
5.2.Market breakdown by technology
5.3.Market breakdown by industry
6.MARKET ANALYSIS
6.1.Machine prices by printing process
6.2.Build volumes by printing process
6.3.Precision by printing process
6.4.Price vs speed
6.5.Price vs precision
6.6.Price vs Volume
6.7.Volume vs precision
6.8.Volume vs speed
7.APPLICATIONS
7.1.Aerospace: Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)
7.2.Aerospace: GE fuel nozzles
7.3.KySat-2
7.4.SULSA
7.5.Architecture: Adrian Priestman
7.6.Jewelry: prototype and production
7.7.Art: Strandbeests
7.8.Movie props
7.9.Clothing: N12 bikini
7.10.Education: brain surgery
7.11.Hobbyist: tooling, toys and puzzles
7.12.CSI: reconstructing crime scenes
7.13.Orthopaedics
7.14.Prototyping: Disney's AIREAL
7.15.Sport: fencing sword hilts
7.16.Consumer: Crayon Creatures
8.FORECASTS
8.1.Market forecasts: background information
8.2.Market forecast: market value by industry
8.3.Market forecast: market share by industry
8.4.Market forecast: growth by industry
8.5.Market forecast: value by technology
8.6.Market forecast: value by revenue stream
8.7.Market forecast: by printer price
9.COMPANY PROFILES
9.1.3D Ceram
9.2.3D Systems Europe
9.3.3Dponics
9.4.Advanc3d Materials
9.5.Advanced Powders and Coatings
9.6.AgIC
9.7.Arcam
9.8.Arcam AB
9.9.Arevo Labs
9.10.Argen Corporation
9.11.Beijing Jiruixintian Technology Co., Ltd.
9.12.Beijing Tiertime Technology Co Ltd
9.13.Biobots
9.14.Blacktrace Holdings Ltd
9.15.BluePrinter ApS
9.16.BMW
9.17.Boeing
9.18.BotFactory
9.19.Canatu
9.20.Carima Ltd
9.21.Cartesian Co
9.22.Chemcubed
9.23.Concept Laser GMBH
9.24.Cookson Precious Metals
9.25.CRP Group
9.26.Digilab Inc.
9.27.DSM Somos
9.28.Dyson
9.29.Efesto LLC
9.30.envisionTEC Gmbh
9.31.EOS GmbH
9.32.EPSRC
9.33.Evonik
9.34.Exceltec
9.35.Fabrisonic LLC
9.36.Ford Motor Company
9.37.Formlabs
9.38.Fraunhofer IWU
9.39.Fripp Design Ltd
9.40.Graphene 3D Lab
9.41.Heraeus New Businesses
9.42.HÖGANÄS
9.43.Impossible Objects
9.44.Leapfrog 3D Printers
9.45.Legor Group
9.46.Lockheed Martin
9.47.Lomiko Metals
9.48.LPW Technology Ltd
9.49.Luxexcel
9.50.Maker Juice
9.51.Materialise
9.52.MaukCC
9.53.MesoScribe Technologies
9.54.MicroFab
9.55.n3D Biosciences, Inc.
9.56.Nano Dimension
9.57.The NanoSteel Company
9.58.Nascent Objects, Inc
9.59.NinjaFlex (Fenner Drives)
9.60.Norsk Titanium
9.61.nScrypt
9.62.Optomec
9.63.Orbital Composites
9.64.Organovo Holdings, Inc.
9.65.Oxford Performance Materials
9.66.Photocentric
9.67.Poietis
9.68.Rahn AG
9.69.Realizer GmbH
9.70.Reebok International
9.71.regenHU Ltd
9.72.RepRap Professional Limited
9.73.Ricoh
9.74.Roland DGA Corporation
9.75.Sandvik
9.76.Sciaky Inc.
9.77.Sinterit Sp. z o.o.
9.78.Sintratec AG
9.79.Solidscape
9.80.Star Prototype
9.81.Stratasys
9.82.Taulman3D
9.83.TeVido BioDevices
9.84.The ExOne Company
9.85.TLC Korea
9.86.Toner Plastics Inc.
9.87.Viridis 3D
9.88.Volvo Construction Equipment
9.89.Voxel8
9.90.Voxeljet Technology GmbH
9.91.Wanhao
9.92.ZMorph
 

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Report Statistics

Slides 119
Companies 92
Forecasts to 2027
 

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