Report: Global 3D printing market to reach $20.2 billion in 2019

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Nearly 133,000 3D printers were shipped globally in 2014, accounting for $3.3 billion in revenue. 

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If you thought 3D printing was merely a fad, you thought wrong. According to Canalys, the market will continue to build upon its momentum from last year which saw 133,000 printers shipped — a 68% jump from 2013. This resulted in $3.3 billion in revenue generated by printer sales and their associated materials. That figure is expected to continue its growth, projecting upward to $5.2 billion by 2015 and $20.2 billion by 2019 — an expected compound annual CAGR of 44% from 2014 to 2019.

“As we expected, the 3D printing market has grown substantially over the past few years,” said Canalys Research analyst Joe Kempton. “There has also been a substantial increase in the number of vendors entering this space, with many coming from Asia, challenging the previous dominance of 3D printing hotspots such as Germany and the USA.”

The growth is being contributed to a combination of lower prices, new forms of manufacturing methods and improved printing speeds. Beyond that, the ability to accelerate product creation via crowdfunding platforms has also spurred more demand for 3D printers.

In a study released just the other week, the research firm estimated that 75% of 3D printers shipped in Q4 2014 were priced below $10,000. In that three-month span alone, the total market revenue exceeded over $1 billion for the first time in a single quarter, with some 41,000 machines shipped worldwide. This represented a 24% rise quarter-over-quarter. Regionally, the Americas accounted for nearly four in 10 (42%) of overall purchases, followed by EMEA and Asia-Pacific at at 31% and 27%, respectively.

“Whereas these consumer printers used to be almost exclusively material extrusion devices, we’ve seen large growth rates in the vat polymerization segment as prices have fallen, which means more options for consumers. There were large, positive growth rates for the dominant consumer players, such as MakerBot and Ultimaker. But also substantial increases in shipment numbers from Chinese vendors, such as XYZPrinting, which have benefited from creating consumer-friendly 3D printers at impressively low price points.”

Undoubtedly, the 3D printing revolution will revolutionize traditional manufacturing as Makers will be able to print real-life products and part replacements right from the comforts of their own home or office. In the coming months, a vast majority of these printers will be plug-and-play, turnkey devices that will begin to enter the sweet spot of $500 — a price point at which many consumers will likely shell out the cash.

It’s bound to have a major impact on industries like aerospace, automotive and healthcare over the next five years as well. Companies such as General Electric, Boeing, and BMW have already invested millions of dollars into the next-gen technology.

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the Maker Movement has not only been using Atmel powered 3D printers like MakerBot, RepRap and CEL for quite some time now, but a slew of new devices popping up on crowdfunding sites are packed with AVR MCUs, most notably the ATmega2560.

Ready to delve deeper into the future of 3D printing? You can find the latest Canalys report here.

ToyFabb 3D online shop opens virtual doors

ToyFabb – a specialized online market for 3D printed  toys – has opened its virtual doors for DIY Makers, hobbyists and professional designers.

According to ToyFabb rep Alex Scmid, the online shop offers a wide variety of services for beginners and expert designers alike, all while acting as a secure marketplace to connect Makers with consumers.

“Hobby and professional designers are provided with free accounts to present and sell their creations,” he explained.

“[Meanwhile], consumers can purchase the 3D toy designs offered and produce them with their 3D printers.”

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, analysts at Canalys say the 3D printing market will hit $16.2 billion by 2018 – representing an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45.7% from 2013 to 2018.

“This is a market with enormous growth potential now that the main barriers to up-take are being addressed. Advances in technology are yielding faster print times and enabling objects to be printed in greater combinations of materials, colors and finishes,” Canalys senior analyst Tim Shepherd confirmed.

“Crucially, prices are also falling, making the technology an increasingly feasible option for a broad variety of enterprise and consumer uses, restricted only by computer aided design competencies and printer availability – both of which are set to improve significantly.”

3D printing market to hit $16.2 billion in 2018

Analysts at Canalys say the 3D printing market will hit $16.2 billion by 2018 – representing an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45.7% from 2013 to 2018.

Robox: Powered by an ARM-based Atmel chip.

“This is a market with enormous growth potential now that the main barriers to up-take are being addressed. Advances in technology are yielding faster print times and enabling objects to be printed in greater combinations of materials, colors and finishes,” said Canalys senior analyst Tim Shepherd.

“Crucially, prices are also falling, making the technology an increasingly feasible option for a broad variety of enterprise and consumer uses, restricted only by computer aided design competencies and printer availability – both of which are set to improve significantly.”

According to Shepherd, 3D printing has clearly become an established technology for producing prototypes and concept models of all manner of products.

“[However], as it matures, there is clear and substantial potential across numerous sectors, such as engineering and architecture, aerospace and defense, and medical (particularly in the fabrication of custom prosthetics), for 3D printing to have a dramatic impact within five years,” he added.

In the short-term, Canalys expects printing-to-order services to drive considerable growth while penetration lags technology advances.

“There is a clear opportunity for companies to establish 3D printing service studios to address the growing demand for the custom products that this technology makes possible. That demand will continue to grow, driven by three main factors: customization potential, convenience and manufacturing efficiencies. Items can be printed and personalized to order,” Canalys research analyst Joe Kempton explained.

Atmel-powered Ormerod 3D printer.

“They can often be printed locally, rather than necessitating designs be sent off to large, sometimes distant, manufacturing facilities. 3D printing also promises less material waste and often lower energy consumption than conventional manufacturing processes. Given these benefits and the breadth of use cases, there is no doubt that this market is set for robust and significant growth.”

More specifically, the value of the 3D printer market itself grew 109% in 2013 to $711 million and is forecast to grow 79% in 2014 to hit $1.3 billion. The market value is expected to grow to $5.4 billion by 2018, with value growth reflecting increasing commercial printer volumes and, as such, also drive growth in the volume and value of consumables shipments, including both resistant printing materials and removable or dissolvable support materials.

“We are at the inflection point for 3D printing. It has now moved from a new and much-hyped, but largely unproven, manufacturing process to a technology with the ability to produce real, innovative, complex and robust products,” Shepherd concluded.

3D Factory, Tel Aviv, Israel.

“This is a fast-evolving market, but it is still in its infancy. Expect to see new major entrants making a significant impact in the industry in the coming years, including giants such as HP. As barriers fall, new use cases emerge, the technology improves and new entrants join, this is a market that will look very different in five years’ time.”

17 million wearable bands to ship in 2014

Basic and smart wearable band shipments increased dramatically in the second half of 2013, with analysts at Canalys predicting a significant acceleration of the trend in 2014. Indeed, over 17 million wearable bands are forecast to ship this year, driven primarily by devices with wearable-specific sensors.

According to Canalys analyst Chris Jones, basic band vendors boast greater wearable expertise and have shipped more numbers to date. Nevertheless, the category of smart bands is already growing faster than its basic counterpart.

“Increasingly, smart bands will adopt basic band features as the two categories converge,” he confirmed.

Though currently a relatively small market serving fitness enthusiasts, wearable bands represent a massive opportunity in the medical and wellness segment. 

Indeed, 2014 will be the year that wearables become a key consumer technology, with the smart band segment expected to reach 8 million annual shipments. More specifically, Canalys estimates this number will grow to over 23 million units by 2015 and over 45 million by 2017.

“The wearable band market is really about the consumerization of health,” said Canalys analyst Daniel Matte. “There will be exciting innovations that disrupt the medical industry this year, and with the increased awareness about personal well-being they will bring to users, having a computer on your wrist will become increasingly common.”

To be sure, Canalys analysts say high-margin smart bands that incorporate sophisticated sensor technology will offer vendors enormous profit potential.

“Android will be critical for developing the smart band app ecosystem, though significant changes will be required before it is suitable for wearable devices,” Matte concluded. “[We] expect Android to enter the smart band market soon in a meaningful way. [Of course], battery life and quality of sensor data will [also] be vital metrics of success for all smart bands.”