Protolabs
Protolabs has released its annual 3D Printing Trend Report, which combines key market data with a survey of more than 700 members of the global engineering community. The report depicts a healthy level of confidence in the market driven by micro and large-format applications, and more potential for production-level manufacturing - as the technology’s uses expand beyond prototyping.
Providing a snapshot of the additive manufacturing industry and highlighting emerging trends, key findings include:
· 3D printing market growing 10.5% faster than predicted
· 2024 market size estimated at $28.07 billion
· Market to reach $57.1 billion by the end of 2028
· 70% of businesses printed more parts in 2023 than in 2022
· 77% reported the medical sector has most potential for impact
3D Printing’s potential for production
The Protolabs report highlights how 3D printing is steadily moving beyond prototyping and towards production applications. The data reveals a steady growth in production-run volumes: with the number of respondents saying they printed more than 10 parts rising from 36% in 2020, to 49% in 2021 and to 76% in 2023.
The mindset around additive and production is also slowly changing: “Production volume and scale” was named by 45% of survey respondents as a factor for choosing other manufacturing methods over 3D printing —down from 47% in the previous year.
“Our latest report clearly indicates that production-level 3D printing is being used by ever-growing numbers of businesses”, says Bjoern Klaas, vice president and managing director EMEA, Protolabs.
“This increase in using 3DP for end-use parts is partly being driven by a preference for more local production. These are trends we expect to see grow as businesses safeguard against supply chain disruption and sustainability concerns”, he adds.
Innovative materials on the rise
The report also found that the expansion of available materials and related technologies will play a vital role in shaping future use cases. For example, nearly one third of respondents believe that multi-material printing will have the biggest impact on 3D printing, second only to hybrid manufacturing combining the technology with traditional services.
Industry experts agreed that highly specialised materials designed for 3D printing applications that are coming to market, provide even more scope for innovation. Adam Hecht from 3DP design studio DIVE said:
“Companies are designing blends that are tailored for 3D printing. They’re creating a lot of materials that are geared towards very specific applications within 3D printing, whether that’s conventional thermoplastics that have been re-engineered for 3D printing, or resins that aren’t just for prototyping, but for very specialised, high-temperature, high-elasticity types of applications.”
Where AI is taking the technology
As the excitement surrounding AI permeates almost every sector, 3D printing is no exception. The report reveals that the big promise of an AI-disrupted industry has yet to be fully realised; however, smart printers are getting smarter, improving user experience. Nearly a third of respondents identified automated print tuning as the top impact from AI, followed by non-planar FDM printing through improved slicer software (25%). Design for additive manufacturing will also benefit from AI innovations—for example, topology optimisation, multiphysics process simulation, and AI-generated CAD.
Protolabs works with customers globally as an additive manufacturing partner, utilising plastic and metal 3D printing technologies to serve customer needs for prototype and production parts. In 2023, Protolabs’ 3D printing service generated more than $84 million in revenue through its quick-turn factories and Protolabs Network manufacturing partners.