3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market

The 3D printing high performance plastic market is projected to grow from USD 123 million in 2023 to USD 362 million by 2028, at a CAGR of 24.0%. Over the world, the 3D printing high performance plastic market is expanding significantly, and during the forecast period, a similar trend is anticipated.

The demand for 3D printing high performance plastic has been driven by several factors, including the government initiatives to support adoption of 3D printing high performance plastic technologies in different industries. The major applications of 3D printing high performance plastic include medical & healthcare, aerospace & defense, transportation, oil & gas and others.

Low-cost plastics such as ABS and PLA do not provide sufficient strength to craft figurines and other objects. However, 3D printing high performance plastics can be used to create engineering-grade parts with high strength, lightweight, and increased durability in various end-use industries. Therefore, 3D printing high performance plastics are witnessing significantly high demand from industries such as medical & healthcare, transportation, oil & gas, electrical & electronics, and aerospace & defense industries. Some grades of these high- performance plastics, with the addition of enhancers/additives such as glass and carbon fibers, have been successfully used in various end-use industries such as healthcare for surgical implants.

Attractive Opportunities in 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market Trends

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3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market Dynamics

Driver: Development of application-specific grades of 3D printing high performance plastics

Different grades of 3D printing plastics are available in the market to cater to different application requirements. The costs of these grades of 3D printing plastics range from the lowest to the highest possible values in the market. There are dDifferent grades of 3D printing plastics which are certified by different organizations such as the European Commission and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or adhere to different standards such as the US Pharmacopeia (USP) Class VI to ensure that they are safe for use in different applications in the healthcare industry. Boeing’s starliner passenger capsules incorporate more than 500 PEKK parts 3D printed by Oxford Performance Materials. These passenger capsules are used to transport NASA astronauts to and from the space station. Thus, the development of application-specific grades of 3D printing plastics is expected to drive the growth of the 3D printing high performance material plastics market during the forecast period.

Restraint: Skepticism regarding acceptance of new technologies in emerging economies

The rate of adoption of new technologies varies from region to region, depending upon various macroeconomic factors such as GDP and the growth of industries contributing to the GDP of a country. These macroeconomic factors impact the adoption of new technologies and eventually their growth in a particular country or region. North American and European regions, which largely constitutes developed countries, are more open toward adopting new technologies such as the 3D printing technology as compared to regions such as the Asia Pacific. The increased adoption of 3D printing technologies in developed regions can be attributed to low opportunity costs for adopting new technologies in these regions as compared to emerging regions. Moreover, the Governments of developed countries also support R&D activities for the development of new and innovative technologies.

Opportunity: Increasing demand for bio-based grades of 3D printing high performance plastics

Some of the 3D printing high performance plastics, which include engineered plastics such as PA11 and PA12, are derived from natural sources such as castor oil, palm oil, and starches. These plastics reduce environmental concerns regarding the disposal of 3D printed waste materials. Hence, bio-based grades of 3D printing high performance plastics are gaining huge acceptance from all end-use industries. Rilsan offered by Arkema is derived from castor oil. Such product developments are expected to offer new avenues for the penetration of bio-based grades of high-performance materials in the 3D printing industry. Governments of several agro-based countries are promoting the production of bio-based polymers to ensure the growth of their agriculture sectors. This is expected to encourage the use of bio-based high-performance plastics for 3D printing applications.

Challenge: Reducing lead time

One of the key challenges faced by 3D printing high performance material manufacturers is to reduce the lead time associated with these materials. 3D printing products require a substantial amount of time to manufacture end products. To overcome this issue, manufacturers need to work on existing materials and technologies catering to the 3D printing industry. The high lead time taken by the industry is restricting most of the manufacturers from switching to additive manufacturing from their conventional manufacturing processes, which is hampering the adoption of 3D printing in major end-use industries, including aerospace & defense, automotive, and electrical & electronics.

Ecosystem: 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market

Based on the end-use industry, the medical & healthcare segment is estimated to account for the largest 3D printing high performance plastic market share during the forecast period

The medical & healthcare industry accounted for the largest share of the 3D printing high performance plastic market. There is an increased demand for biocompatible high-performance plastics such as PA, PEI, PEEK & PEKK, PPSU, and reinforced plastics in medical devices and implants. Medical-grade and implantable high-performance plastics such as PEEK and PPSU are increasingly being investigated for use in neurological and orthopaedic implants and bio-printing human organs.

Based on type, the PEEK & PEKK segment is anticipated to register the highest CAGR in 3D printing high performance plastic market

There are different types of 3D printing high performance plastics materials such as polyamide (PA), polyether ether ketone (PEEK) & polyether ketone (PEKK), and reinforced plastics. PEEK & PEKK are projected to be the fastest-growing high performance plastics during the forecast period. There is a high demand for these materials in the medical & healthcare industry due to biocompatibility, high strength, chemical resistance, lightweight, and advanced geometries. These plastics find huge demand in medical implants, under-the-hood automotive applications, aircraft engine compartments, and flowmeters and valves in the oil & gas industry. These plastics can also be reinforced with glass and carbon for increased performance.

North America to hold the largest market share during the forecast period

North America is the largest market for 3D printing high performance plastics with the US leading the market in the region. The presence of major 3D printing players, such as Stratasys and 3D Systems Corporation, is supporting the market growth in the country. North America has the highest number of 3D printing startups focused on niche markets. The growing demand from end-use industries, such as aerospace & defense, healthcare, electrical & electronics, and automotive, which are adopting the 3D printing technology, is expected to enhance the demand for 3D printing high performance plastics in the region.

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Key Market Players

The 3D printing high performance plastic market is dominated by a few globally established players. Arkema (France), 3D Systems, Inc. (US), Markforged (US), Stratasys (US), Evonik Industries AG (Germany), Oxford Performance Materials, Inc. (US), EOS GmbH (Germany), Solvay (Belgium), SABIC (Saudi Arabia), BASF SE (Germany), Impossible Objects (US), Apium Additive Technologies GmbH (Germany), Ensinger (Germany), Victrex plc (UK), and CRP Technology S.r.l. (Italy), among others, are the key manufacturers that secured major contracts in the last few years. Major focus was given to the contracts and new product development due to the changing requirements across the world.

These companies are pursuing a variety of inorganic and organic strategies in order to gain a foothold in the 3D printing high performance plastic market. The research includes a detailed competitive analysis of these key players in the 3D printing high performance plastic market, including company profiles, recent developments, and key market strategies.

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Scope of the Report

The study categorizes the 3D printing high performance plastic market based on Precursor Type, Source, Resin Type, Manufacturing Process, End-Use Industry, and Region.

By Type:

• PA
• PEI
• PEEK & PEKK
• Reinforced HPP
• Others

By Form:

• Filament and Pellet
• Powder
• By Technology:
• FDM/FFF
• SLS

By Application:

• Prototyping
• Tooling
• Functional Part Manufacturing

By End-Use Industry:

• Medical & Healthcare
• Aerospace & Defense
• Transportation
• Oil & Gas
• Others

By Region:

• North America
• Asia Pacific
• Europe
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Recent Developments

• In April 2023, Solvay announced a strategic collaboration with Ginkgo Bioworks for developing more sustainable biopolymers for 3D printing market.
• In March 2023, Evonik entered into partnership with BellaSeno to commercialize Resomer polymers for medical applications.
• In November 2022, 3D Systems entered into partnership with ALM to expand access to industry-leading 3D printing materials. 3D Systems’ Dura Form Pax material will be added by ALM in its portfolio.
• In November 2022, Oxford Performance Materials, Inc, acquired a high performance PAEK patent portfolio which includes the PAEK polymer synthesis technology. This acquisition helps Oxford Performance Materials to enhance its capabilities and be recognized as leader in PAEK materials technology.

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