Additive Manufacturing Research has recently published a study affirming the optimistic future for prominent additive manufacturing (AM) technologies.
The findings indicate that these technologies are well-positioned to play crucial roles in manufacturing across diverse industries in the coming decade, with anticipated annual print production exceeding $100 billion.
In particular, total global metal additive prototyping growth experienced a slowdown in 2023 compared to the previous year, with a similar trend observed in the production of additive tools.
However, the printing of end-use parts using AM technologies saw an acceleration, AM Research said in a press release.
Despite a slight dip in growth compared to 2022, the printing of metal tools and tooling using AM technologies surged by nearly 41 percent in 2023.
The market for 3D-printed polymer prototypes exhibited a modest five percent growth during the year. Nevertheless, overall polymer parts printing volumes increased, propelled by a rise in end-use parts printed.
According to AM Research, this growth was particularly driven by the adoption of material extrusion and powder bed fusion technologies.
Notably, with the widespread availability of relatively low-cost, professional polymer powder bed fusion printers, AM Research projects that the printing of end-use polymer parts using powder bed fusion will double that of material extrusion processes.
The data-only report features exhaustive data files, with separate sections for Metal 3D printed parts and Polymer 3D printed parts.
These files include historical and projected production volumes, along with resulting market values for AM parts spanning prototypes, tools and tooling, and end-use production parts.
The report covers eight major industries and dozens of part categorisations, ranging from aircraft and helicopter engine components in the aerospace sector to nuclear reactor components in the energy industry.
The data reflects real market activity through Q2 2023, combined with proprietary projections for the coming decade.
