Market Insight:
Additive manufacturing (AM), often known as 3D printing, is an innovative approach to industrial production that uses a computer-controlled technique to create three-dimensional objects through the process of adding materials layer-by-layer. It works by directing machinery to insert material layer by layer to build accurate geometric forms using a computer-aided design (CAD) or 3D object scanner.
The future of additive manufacturing technology is bright, with increasing usage in the industrial and medical sectors. As a result, increased applications of additive manufacturing in numerous industrial verticals is one of the primary causes driving additive manufacturing demand in the coming years. The global additive manufacturing market is expected to reach US$20.40 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 21.21% over the projected period.
Segment Covered:
Geographic Coverage:
According to this report, the global additive manufacturing market can be divided into four regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The countries covered in North America region are the US, Canada, and Mexico, while Europe includes Germany, The UK, France, Italy, Spain, and Rest of the Europe. Moreover, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia and Rest of the Asia Pacific are included in the Asia Pacific region.
North America held the maximum share in the market owing to increasing R&D investment in this sector coupled with an infrastructure that supports the same, advancements in technological to sustain the consumer demand and the early adoption of 3D printing technology in the region. The US market dominated the region due to advanced development in technologies. In Europe, Italy is expected to be the fastest growing region in the forecasted period. Whereas, in the Asia Pacific region, China dominated the market owing to the various imposition by the Chinese government for quality standards, strengthening monitoring, and encouraging firms to improve products, growth in spending on additive manufacturing technology development and rising efforts to improve consumer product quality and promote the Made in China mark in order to meet rising demand.
Top Impacting Factors:
Growth Drivers
Challenges
Trends
Driver: Growing Utilization in Aerospace Industry
With the growth in manufacturing market, many aerospace companies are turning from conventional manufacturing processes to additive manufacturing to reduce costs, overcome traditional manufacturing challenges. Additive manufacturing is transforming aerospace manufacturing with the ability to create customized, lightweight, and structurally sound parts quickly and efficiently, cutting costs, carbon emissions, material waste, and development times while allowing for component creation that was previously impossible. Additionally, with the use of additive manufacturing, it is possible to create intricate parts with less lead time and energy from a wide variety of materials. Thus, growing demand for lightweight components from aerospace industry is supporting the global additive manufacturing market growth.
Additive Manufacturing is a time-consuming and costly process as far as initial investments are concerned. In other words, a lot has to be invested with patience for feasible outcome to come through. This is why, the biggest barrier to the implementation of this technology is reportedly its high initial costs. Setting up a 3D system requires significant capital expenditures and more resources than conventional printing techniques. Not every business have the capacity to affordably integrate this type of activity into their business processes. The average price for additive manufacturing equipment is between US$300,000 to US$1.5 million. The industrial consumables cost varies from US$100 to US$150 per piece. Although, the final price depends on the chosen material, such as plastic, which is considered the most budget-friendly option among all other materials available. The time required is also quite high as it takes more than an hour to print a 40cm object. As such, the start-ups are likely to give a second thought before going for additive manufacturing. This factor is bound to restrain the additive manufacturing market growth in the forecast period.
An increasing number of dental injuries, owing to road accidents and sports injuries, are also some of the major factors favoring the demand for dental implants. A substantial rise in the adoption of dental implants is leading to growing demand for additive manufacturing in the dentistry. In the dental field, AM is utilized on splints, orthodontic appliances, dental models and drill guides. Additive manufacturing of implants has advantages such as customization, flexibility, and freedom in implant design and the possibility of manipulating chemical and physical parameters. Moreover, AM has improved the accuracy of implant surgeries and made implants more comfortable for patients. Accordingly, surging applications in dentistry is expected to propel the market growth of additive manufacturing, globally.
The COVID-19 Analysis:
The COVID-19 outbreak resulted in hampering the demand for additive manufacturing in various applications. Governments of various countries across the globe have enforced lockdown measures to curb the spread of the disease. This has resulted in the slowdown and halt in manufacturing operations, restrictions on supply and transport, and infrastructure slowdown. A few companies, such as SLM Solutions, ExOne and Protolabs, witnessed marginal growth.
Analysis of Key Players:
The global additive manufacturing market is highly fragmented, with a large number of small- and medium-sized manufacturers operating in the market. The key players in the global additive manufacturing market are:
Some of the strategies among key players in the market for additive manufacturings are product launches, mergers, acquisitions, and collaborations. For instance, in November 2021, Optomec Inc., announced the launch of two new additive manufacturing machines specifically designed for high volume production and incorporate automated part-handling options. On the other hand, Stratasys Ltd., announced that Danish shoe manufacturer ECCO is using Stratasys Origin one 3D printing technology to accelerate product development, by allowing conceptual footwear samples to be reviewed early in the development cycle using 3D printed mold and lasts with resin materials from Henkel Loctite.