Apr 5, 2016 | By Kira
Wohlers Associates Inc. has today released the 2016 edition of the Wohlers Report, the most recognized and comprehensive account on the state of the global additive manufacturing industry today. The findings, which are based on information from 51 industrial system manufacturers, 98 service providers, 15 third-party material producers, various desktop 3D printer manufacturers, and 80 3D printing experts from 33 countries worldwide, has revealed that, for the second year in a row, the 3D printing industry has grown by $1 billion to a total of $5,165 billion.
That $5 billion represents a total growth rage (CAGR) of 25.9% in 2015, which is slightly lower than the 33.8% CAGR of the past three years, yet still extremely promising. Wohlers also indicated that over the past 27 years, the CAGR for the industry is 26.2%, demonstrating impressive consistency. In 2014, the 3D printing industry grew 34.9%, the highest growth rate in 17 years.
According to Wohlers, despite some challenges within the 3D printing industry, growth was particularly apparent in two distinct and seemingly opposite sectors: industrial metal additive manufacturing and desktop 3D printers.
This is a trend we have certainly seen throughout the years. In 2013, Wohlers reported that sales of metal 3D printers were up a whopping 74%. Two years later, market research company CONTEXT revealed that interest in metal 3D printers was still white hot, with sales up another 45%.
According to the Wohlers Report 2016, there were thirteen more manufacturers selling industrial-grade AM systems (valued at more than $5,000) in 2015 than in 2014, and twice as many than in 2011. Market leaders in metal 3D printing include EOS, 3D Systems, Concept Laser, Optomec and more, however in the past year, we’ve also covered quite a few promising new entrants, including Toshiba, and Israeli startup XJet.
On the desktop 3D printer side, Wohlers also revealed strong growth— whereas in 2014, roughly 160,000 desktop 3D printers were sold, that number is up to 278,000 and counting.
This increase in desktop 3D printer sales is another trend we have seen on the rise thanks to companies such as XYZPrinting, Stratasys, Ultimaker and many others striving to make consumer 3D printing as affordable and accessible as possible. This trend was also revealed in another CONTEXT report, which indicated that 85% of the half million 3D printers shipped to date belong to the desktop/consumer 3D printer category.
While there are many, many factors influencing the 3D printing industry today, and dozens of new machines, technologies, materials and applications appearing every week, based on the most recent data, it seems quite clear that metal 3D printing and desktop 3D printing are the two areas to keep a close eye on.
The entire list of companies in the metal, desktop, industrial, and all other 3D printer sectors can be found in the complete, 335-page Wohlers Report 2016, alongside detailed charts, graphs, tables, photographs and illustrations that provide unparalleled insight into the 3D printing industry today. The 2016 edition marks the 21st consecutive year of the report’s availability to educators, researchers, analysts and any other stakeholders in the 3D printing industry. The current price of the report is $3,950 for 10 single-user licenses.
Wohlers Associates is an independent consulting firm recognized as the leader and authority on additive manufacturing worldwide. The principal authors of the report are Tim Caffrey, Ian Campbell, and Terry Wohlers.
Posted in 3D Printing Technology
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