3D Printing Materials Market

3D Printing Materials Market Overview

The global 3D printing materials market is projected to grow from USD 2.5  billion in 2022 to USD 7.9  billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 25.6% during the forecasted period. The market's growth is attributed to the factors such as ease in the development of customized products and reduction in manufacturing costs and process downtime. However, the high cost of materials and lack of standard process control are some of the challenges that restrict the market's growth.

3D Printing Materials Market Trends

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3D Printing Materials Market Dynamics

Driver: Development of new industrial-grade 3D printing materials

The materials used in 3D printing are just as important as the printers themselves. In the past, polymers were the most commonly used materials in 3D printing; however, ceramics, metals, and even biocompatible materials are now available for 3D printing. The development of new 3D printing materials is expected to help 3D printing methods expand their application areas in niche sectors such as printed electronics and energy and power industries. The Virtual Foundry (US) has begun using a one-of-a-kind filament made of polylactic acid (PLA) and up to 90% metal. Using this special filament, any FDM-based 3D printer can create bronze, brass, and copper items. Composites are another rapidly emerging class of 3D printing materials, thanks to their growing popularity in the aerospace and defense industries. The development of such new industrial-grade 3D printing materials is also expected to open up new growth avenues for AM, particularly in potential applications where the required material properties are critical. ABS, PLA and their various blends are most common FDM 3D printing media materials.

Restraint: Lack of standard process control

Due to uncontrollable process variables and material differences based on machine and manufacturer, the consistency of each 3D printing process varies. Currently, very few monitoring techniques meet specific criteria by reflecting 3D printing process inconsistencies. Because of the limited data available for process control, it is difficult to develop detailed and accurate mathematical models using 3D printing, especially in complex and sophisticated applications (such as aerospace, military/defense, and healthcare). Manufacturing failures and erroneous outputs may result from limitations in the planning phase, process control, and pre- and post-production procedures.

Opportunity: Adoption of 3D printing technology in home printing

3D printing has been around for 30 years, but the recent surge is attributed to the availability of home 3D printers. Due to their low prices, these home printers are available in the market, increasing the demand for home 3D printers and driving the 3D printing materials market to rapid growth. These printers are now available in homes, offices, computer stores, and shopping malls, allowing users to create low-cost products in a relatively short period of time.

Challenge: Production of low-cost 3D printing materials

The high cost of 3D printing materials has been a point of concern associated with market growth. Many applications for 3D printing materials have been discovered but are facing various restrictions due to their high costs. Developing low-cost technologies for the manufacturing of 3D printing materials is a major challenge for key manufacturers and researchers. Due to their high cost, 3D printing materials are used only in high-end and luxury cars. There are significant opportunities in other economic automotive sectors for 3D printing materials. The consumer & industrial sector leads the 3D printing materials market and is expected to dominate the market due to the decreased production cost.

3D Printing Materials Market Ecosystem

North America to hold the largest market share in the 3D printing materials market

North America is the largest market for 3D printing materials, with the US leading the regional market owing to the presence of major 3D printing players such as Stratasys, Ltd. and 3D Systems, Inc. in the country. The entry of major players, such as General Electric, with a specifically focused division on the 3D printing materials market, could increase the market share of North America. The region 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 materials in the region. Companies in this region, such as Ford Motors, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and GE, have been early adopters of the technology. Some of these companies have made strategic developments to implement 3D printing technology in their production practices.

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Key Market Players

Key players in the global 3D printing materials market are 3D Systems, Inc. (US), Arkema (France), Stratasys (US), General Electric (US), EOS GmbH (Germany), Materialise (Belgium), Sandvik AB (Sweden), Höganäs AB (Sweden), Evonik Industries AG (Germany), BASF SE (Germany), Henkel AG & CO. KGaA (Germany), and Solvay (Belgium).

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

Read More: 3D Printing Materials Companies

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Scope of the Report

This research report categorizes the 3D printing materials market based on type, form, technology, application, end-use industry, and region.

By type:

• Plastics
• Metals
• Ceramics
• Others

By form:

• Powder
• Filament
• Liquid

By technology:

• FDM
• SLS
• SLA
• DMLS
• Others

By application:

• Prototyping
• Manufacturing
• Others

By end-use industry:

• Aerospace & Defense
• Healthcare
• Automotive
• Consumer Goods
• Construction
• Others

By Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East and Africa
• Rest of the World

Recent Developments

• In November 2022, Stratasys launched a new ABS-based carbon fiber material for its award-winning F123 Series 3D printers, the platform's first composite material. Carbon fiber materials have proven extremely popular for various end-use applications such as jigs, fixtures, and tooling on Stratasys' industrial-scale FDM 3D printers. Stratasys makes carbon fiber much more accessible with FDM ABS-CF10 and high-performance F170, F270, and F370 3D printers  to the engineering and manufacturing communities.
• In August 2022, Sandvik signed and completed an agreement to acquire 100% of the equity interests in Switzerland-based Sphinx Tools Ltd and its wholly owned subsidiary P. Rieger Werkzeugfabrik AG (Sphinx Tools). Sphinx Tools' offering primarily consists of precision solid round tools (micro tools) and surgical cutting tools. The customers are mainly in the automotive, aerospace, and medical segments. The company is expected to be reported in Sandvik Coromant, a division within Sandvik Manufacturing and Machining Solutions.
• In July 2022, Markforged announced the release of its first high-temperature printing polymer. It is a highly durable thermoplastic with excellent flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST) properties. ULTEM Filament, which is suitable for use in production aerospace applications, extends Markforged's CFR technology into a new realm of parts. ULTEM Filament is now available in a new realm of parts thanks to Markforged's CFR technology. ULTEM Filament is now available in Markforged's new 3200cc XL spool, which is four times the size of standard spools.3.
• In March 2022, Evonik Industries, the specialty chemicals company, developed VESTAKEEP iC4800 3DF, a new osteoconductive PEEK filament that improves fusion between bone and implants. The high-performance polymer can be processed in common extrusion-based 3D printing technologies such as fused filament fabrication.
• In April 2021, Materialise opened its new 3,500 square meter metal competence center for 3D Printing in Bremen, Germany. Materialise's focus on metal 3D printing has expanded in recent years due to the increasing demand for the technology as companies recognize the potential of metal 3D printing for serial production. The company invested approximately USD 9.2 million to construct the new facility, which has a capacity for over 120 employees and more than 30 industrial metal 3D printers. Materialise previously operated two facilities focusing on metal 3D printing in Bremen, including a software development and distribution center and an industrial manufacturing center.

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