3D Printing Sector Projected to Be Worth $4B by 2025

Many industry watchers are bullish on the 3D printing sector – but the latest projection is higher than many people ever anticipated.

One of the hottest new trends in manufacturing, 3D printing – also known as additive manufacturing – is the process of making a three-dimensional solid object of any shape from a digital model.

The 3D printing sector will be worth $4 billion by 2025, according to a new study by IDTechEx, noted by Research and Markets.


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The healthy amount included in the projection could lead to more interest in the field by venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and universities.

Called “3D Printing 2013-2025: Technologies, Markets, Players,” the study also says that the sector will be able to produce lighter components used in the auto and aerospace sectors. The study highlights customized uses in medicine and dentistry as well – such as with implants or various procedures. Health providers will likely use CT or MRI scans, which will be used to come up with “cheap customization” so doctors can “replicate a patient's body” as they “practice difficult invasive procedures.”

“The medical/dental sector has strong growth potential,” the report adds. “Currently valued at $141 million, it will grow to $868 million by 2025, led by dental applications and increasing use for the manufacture of orthopedic implants.”

Jewelry, architecture and design arts are other growth fields. The sector will experience a combined compound annual growth rate of 20 percent through 2025.

On the other hand, the hobbyist market, where people employ 3D printing for home uses, will “remain relatively small,” the report adds.

“Manufacturers of 3D printers are reporting a surge in demand, and markets for 3D printing are growing rapidly across a number of application areas as new materials development open up new opportunities,” according to a statement from Research and Markets.

In addition, one benefit of 3D printing is that materials are used “only where needed” so there is “significantly less materials wastage than traditional manufacturing techniques,” Research and Markets reports.

The manufacturing process was first focused on the production of prototypes for “form and fit testing,” but now “applications are transitioning towards also functional testing of prototypes under working conditions, and further, the manufacture of final products,” the statement said.

Some of the reasons for the current growth in 3D printing are: increased awareness of the technology, prices of some models have decreased, and there is a wider range of materials available for the process, the report said.

The report also notes the work of universities in China, the United States and Europe in the 3D sector. One center that has produced intellectual property from 3D printing research is the Fraunhofer (News - Alert) Institute in Germany, the report said.

In addition, a recent report from 3D Printing View reported how U.S. universities in New England and New York are opening new centers dedicated to the field. They range from the first 3D printing facility in the Northeast to use metals instead of plastics – now open at the University of Connecticut – to Northeastern University, which will open a 3D printing lab in its library.