3D_printing_trends_report_2020.pdf

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3D printing trends 2020
Industry highlights and market trends

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Executive summary

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Looking back on the last decade, the 3D printing landscape has changed drastically.
A technology that started as a prototyping solution has gained tremendous momentum for
manufacturing end-use parts for industrial applications. 2019 was a landmark year in this evolution.

3D printing is now adopted by the early-majority for serial production.
With ubiquitous applications across multiple industries – including Automotive,
Aerospace, Maritime, Medical, Space, Sports, Motorsports, Railway, and Defense –
3D printing is changing new product development and aftermarket supply chains globally.

3D printing entrepreneurship is strong and driven by applications.
A record-high $1.1B+ was raised by 3D printing startups in 3D printing in 2019 alone.
Applications of 3D printing are attracting the largest number of investors.

The 3D printing market keeps growing at record speeds.
Top analysts agree that, as adoption steadily increases, the total 3D printing market will
continue to double in size approximately every three years, despite current poor returns
of publicly traded 3D printing companies.

Professional users are turning to online manufacturing platforms.
The plethora of 3D printing materials and systems make it impossible for companies to
invest in in-house capabilities that cover all use-cases. Many professionals choose online
manufacturing platforms as the most competitive solution to fulfill their serial 3D printing
production needs.

3D printing is only one part of the new digital manufacturing stack.
Joined by other digital manufacturing technologies, such as CNC machining and
low-run injection molding, and empowered by digital supply chains and smart factories,
3D printing is forming the new manufacturing landscape.

• A timeline with the most influential industrial
3D printing applications of 2019

• An overview of the current size and
growth trends of the 3D printing market

• The global distribution of the online 3D printing
demand based on transactional data

• A breakdown of the online demand by industry,
application, material and process

• Commentary on the role of 3D printing in
the greater digital manufacturing landscape

• Interviews with 3D printing subject experts
on the state of the industry

• Emerging trends and predictions for 2020 and beyond

In the 3D Hubs 3D Printing Trends 2020 report, we take a look back at 2019
to help you better understand what lies ahead. In this report you’ll find:

3 ×
more professionals are
using 3D printing today
than 3 years ago

40%
of all online 3D printed
parts in 2019 were for
serial production

of all online 3D printing
s come from the top
three countries: USA, UK
and the Netherlands

75%

of total VC funding
in 3D printing startups
was invested in 2019

35%

24%
is the forecasted average annual
growth of the 3D printing market
for the next 5 years

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Table of contents

Introduction 5

Methods and approach
Basic definitions and benefits of 3D printing

6

7

Market trends 8

Industry highlights: what happened to the 3D printing industry in 2019?

Startup highlights and VC funding

Market trends and sentiment

Global online 3D printing demand

Geographic distribution

Breakdown by industry and application

Breakdown by materials and processes

9

13

16

19

22

23

Beyond 3D printing 24

Online 3D printing demand: The pillars of the new digital manufacturing stack

Industry expert interviews

Emilio Juárez, EMEA Head of 3D Printing Sales, HP

Max Lobovsky, Co-founder and CEO, Formlabs

Jon Bruner, Head of Enterprise Strategy, Carbon

Dr. Cora Lüders-Theuerkauf, MGA Medical, a division of Mobility goes Additive

26

28

29

30

31

Predictions for 2020 32

About this report 33

References 34

Methods & approach, and definitions

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Introduction

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Data from five main different sources were collected to produce this report:
• A systematic review of the news reported by the media
• An analysis of the trends in VC funding raised for 3D printing startups
• Market trends through a comparison of market analyst reports
• Transactional data from the 3D Hubs online manufacturing platform
• Informational interviews with leading industry experts

The review of the news provides an overview of the direction of the industry with
an emphasis on the progress of large enterprises. These early industrial adopters are
at the forefront of the technology and drive cutting-edge innovation and market growth.

Trends in VC funding reveal what direction the industry will take in the near future,
as an increased influx of capital into specific areas signals their substantial growth.

Market analysis gives an overview of the financial forces that drive the growth
of 3D printing technologies. By comparing the results of multiple reports
—all released in 2019—a more holistic picture of the current state and direction
of the market can be drawn.

The analysis of the online transactions of the 3D Hubs platform provides hard data on
the way 3D printing is used today by the majority of engineering professionals worldwide.

To gain more profound insights, we interviewed industry experts, who shared with us
their opinion on the current key trends of 3D printing and gave their predictions on
what to expect moving into the new decade.

DMLS from a Concept Laser machine

Methods and approach

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Since 3D printing can manufacture parts without the need for specialized tooling,
the startup costs of all AM technologies are relatively low. This makes 3D printing
an economically viable solution for prototypes, low-run production, and one-off custom
parts. Today, an increasing number of engineering and manufacturing firms are taking
advantage of advances in 3D printing technologies to design and manufacture unique
parts with improved performance and productions that run at higher volumes
—even for serial production.

To refresh and expand your knowledge on the specific benefits, mechanics, and applica-
tions of each 3D printing process, follow the links below to our comprehensive guides:

The definitive guide to 3D printing
Metal 3D printing technologies compared
The 3D printing handbook

Professionals use 3D printing for two main purposes:
• A prototyping solution to accelerate product development
• A manufacturing technology for low-run production, and one-off custom parts

3D printing for prototyping
Additive Manufacturing
for production

Rapid design iterations Fewer design restrictions

Low-cost, functional prototypes On-demand production

Widely accessible solution Mass customization

Effective design communication Distributed manufacturing

Here are the key benefits offered by 3D printing for each use-case:

Basic definitions
and benefits of 3D printing

https://www.3dhubs.com/guides/3d-printing/

https://www.3dhubs.com/guides/metal-3d-printing/

https://www.3dhubs.com/3d-printing-handbook/

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Market trends

What happened to
the 3D printing industry in 2019?

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Quarter 1

Industry highlights
What happened to the 3D printing industry in 2019?

Themes:
Industry, Medical

Lima Corporate, the medical device
company that commercialized the first
3D printed hip cup implant, announced
in January that it will open an on-site
metal 3D printing facility at a hospital in
New York City. The facility is expected
to be in operation by early 2020 and it
will be the first of its kind. [01]

Themes:
Applications, Space

The race to space is on for AM.
In February, Orbex [02], Launcher [03], and
ESA’s ArianeGroup [04] all revealed more
information about their progress on
producing a 3D printed rocket engine.
Thales Alenia Space manufactured an
AM titanium pressure vessel for space
exploration applications [05]. Later in the
year, Relativity Space signed a lease
with NASA to set up a robotic micro-
factory to produce their rockets that
are 95% by mass 3D printed [06] [07].

Themes:
Applications, Automotive, Mobility

In February, Local Motors deployed
the first two 3D printed, autonomous
shuttles which will be roaming inde-
pendently in the Sacramento State
University campus [08]. Later this year,
the company partnered with Airbus to
establish a micro-factory that will focus
on producing 3D printed solutions for
ground and air mobility, for example,
urban cargo, and drones [09].

In 2019, Orbex 3D printed a rocket in a single piece [02]
(Courtesy Orbex)

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Themes:
Industry, Automotive,
Serial Production

BMW kicked off a project in April tar-
geting the serial production of auto-
motive parts with AM [10]. The company
is not the only car manufacturer that
sees AM as a serial production tool.
In the same month, Audi announced
that they are scaling their AM produc-
tion for polymer components [11]. Later
in the year, Volkswagen announced
that 10,000 high-quality parts for their
EV were produced in just a few weeks
using HP’s metal binder jetting system.
[12]

Themes:
Applications, Industrial Operations

In May, SmileDirectClub announced
their plan to 3D print molds for their
dental aligners on a massive scale,
following the success of Invisalign [13].
Dental is only one of the industries that

3D printing can improve operational
efficiencies. Some other examples in
2019 come from the food and beverage
industry, with Heineken [14] and Kaspar
Schulz [15], the automotive industry, with
Volvo Trucks [16], and the textile industry
(with Lonati [17]) to name a few.

Themes:
Applications, Aerospace,
Serial Production

In June, Norsk Titanium was recog-
nized as part of Boeing’s Material
Allowables Program, expanding the
collaboration of the two companies
for serial produc-tion of structural
titanium parts for passenger airplanes
[18]. The serial produc-tion of aircraft
components was on the rise in 2019.
Airbus on-boarded two new suppliers
of metal AM parts in its supplier
network [19] [20]. Avio Aero, a business
of GE Aviation, started the production
of a turboprop engine manufactured
with AM [21], and other companies like

Rolls Royce [22] and Boom Supersonic
[23] both made large investments in AM
equipment.

Themes:
Applications, Aircraft, Supply Chain

In Q2, Collins Aerospace [24], and
Marshall Aerospace [25], as well as
British Airways later in the year [26],
revealed the expansion of their
activities in the field of AM. These
firms were added to the long list of Air
Carriers and Aircraft Maintenance,
Repair, and Operations (MRO)
companies that use AM to improve
the efficiencies of their supply. This
list includes companies such as Air NZ
[27], Qatar Airways [28], and Lufthansa
Technik [29]. The use of AM in aircraft
MRO is only expected to increase as
SAE International published in October
the first AM specifications for the
aerospace industry [30].

BMW announced in 2019 it aims to produce at least 50,000 components per year using AM
(Courtesy BMW)

Quarter 2

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Themes:
Applications, Motorsports,
Product Development

In August, FIA, the governing body
of Formula One, used AM to test and
issue new regulations for race vehicles
for next year’s competition [31].
3D printing has become common-
place in motorsport teams in 2019
shown by example from F1 with Renault
F1 [32], IndyCar racing with Arrow SPM
[33], endurance racing with Toyota
Motorsport [34], and even drag racing
with Don Schumacher [35].

Themes:
Applications, Sports,
Consumer Products

Specialized [36] and fizik [37] both
announced in Q3 their plans to use
Carbon’s 3D printing technology
to produce adaptive bike saddles.
The sports industry found more
applications for resin-based 3D
printing. Earlier in the year, New
Balance revealed their new sneaker
with an insole 3D printed with Formlabs
printers [38]. Also, Riddel released
American football helmets with
customizable padding and an impact-
absorbing lattice structure design [39].

Themes:
Applications, Railway, Supply Chain

Obsolete plastic train components
were 3D printed, certified and put into
operation in UK trains in September
[40]. Later in the year, Mobility goes
Additive obtained approval to start
additively manufacturing a highly-
loaded part of the brake unit used in
German trains [41].

Last year, the Renault F1 team announced its partnership with Jabil
to produce 3D-printed car parts (Courtesy Renault)

Quarter 3

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Theme:
Industry, Sustainability

In October, Made In Space announced
that they are sending a plastic
recycling system to support the AM
facility on the ISS [42]. Sustainability is
an important, but often overlooked,
topic in AM with initiatives initiated
mainly from material companies such
as Henkel [43], DSM [44], and 6K [45].
The latter claimed in November they
produced the first metal powder for
AM from sustainable sources.

Themes:
Applications, Defense, Supply Chain

In December, the US Air Force
announced a seven-year $322M
agreement with America Makes to
advance the adoption of AM [46]. This
was one of many activities of armed
forces units in the area of 3D printing
in 2019. The technology is already
integrated into the supply chain of
the US Marines [47] and US Army [48]
and has been used to produce high-
performance parts for the US Air Force
[49], the US Navy [50], and the Russian
Army [51]. AM will also play an important
role in manufacturing five new
warships for the Spanish Navy [52].

Themes:
Applications, Maritime

In November, the University of Maine
revealed a boat that was fully 3D
printed in one piece to demonstrate
the capabilities of the technology
[53]. In an industrial setting, the use of
AM for spare parts and replacement
components in the maritime industry
is also steadily increasing, with
companies like Wilhelmsen [54],
Thyssenkrupp [55] and Navantia [52]
leading the way.

In Feburary, it was announced the USS Harry S Truman will be the first aircraft
carrier to contain a 3D-printed metal part (Courtesy US Navy)

Quarter 4

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Startup highlights and VC funding
More than $1.1B was raised by 3D printing startups in 2019

Startups with activities in 3D printing raised over $1.1B in 2019 alone [56], with all-time
funding exceeding $3.0B [57]. 3D printer manufacturers acquired over two-thirds of
the total funding from venture capitalists, with startups working on 3D printing
applications, materials, manufacturing services, and software acquiring each 8 to 12%
of the remaining funding.

Similar to other industries, VC investment in 3D printing is mainly centralized in the US
with companies like Carbon ($2.4B), Desktop Metal ($1.5B), and Formlabs ($1.0B) [56] —
all 3D printing system manufacturers headquartered in the US—already acquiring
“unicorn” status since 2018.

However, the 3D printing startup scene is changing. Funding is increasing in both
China and Europe—from both private investors and EU-lead programs—to promote the
competitiveness of the local digital manufacturing economies. We also see an increase
in the number of investments in 3D printing applications, especially in the space, and
MedTech sectors.

Number of 3D printing investments
by category

30%

25%

13%

9%
4%

Applied 3D printing
3D printer manufacturers
Manufacturing platforms
Software
Materials producers
Other

19%

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Q1 Desktop Metal (US)
3D printer manufacturer
(metals, composites)
Raised $160M in January (Series E) [58]

3D Hubs (Netherlands)

Manufacturing platform
Raised $20M in March (Series C)
[59]

Mecuris (Germany)

Applied 3D printing
(MedTech)
Raised $4M in January (Series A) [60]

Additive Industries (Netherlands)

3D printer manufacturer
(metals)
Raised $10M in January [61]

Vader Systems (USA)

3D printer manufacturer
(metals)
Acquired by Xerox in February [62]

Markforged (USA)

3D printer manufacturer
(metals, composites)
Raised $82M in March (Series D) [63]

BCN3D (Spain)

3D printer manufacturer
(polymers)
Raised $3M in March (Seed) [64]

Q2 Fast Radius (USA)
3D printing service provider
Raised $48M in April (Series B) [65]

Dyndrite (USA)

3D printing software
Raised $10M in April (Series A) [66]

Xometry (USA)

Manufacturing platform
Raised $50M in May (Series D) [67]

Carbon (USA)

3D printer manufacturer (polymers)
Raised $260M in June (Series E) [69]

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Q3 Fortify (USA)
3D printer manufacturer
(composites)
Raised $10M in July (Series A) [69]

Axial3D (UK)

Applied 3D printing
(MedTech)
Raised $3M in July (Series A) [70]

Spectroplast (Switzerland)

Material manufacturer (silicone)
and manufacturing platform
Raised €1.4M in August (Series A) [71]

Redefine Meat (Israel)

Applied 3D printing
(FoodTech)
Raised $6M in August (Series A) [72]

Q4 Relativity Space (USA)
Applied 3D printing
(Space)
Raised $140M in October
(Series B) [73]

Additive Manufacturing
Technologies (UK)

Process automation
(post-processing)
Raised $5.2M in October (Series A) [74]

Link3D (USA)

3D printing software
Raised $7M in October (Series A) [75]

Sculpteo (France)

Manufacturing platform
Acquired by BASF in November [76]

Postprocess Technologies (USA)

Process automation
(post-processing)
Raised $20M in November
(Series B) [77]

Inkbit (USA)

3D printer manufacturer
(polymers)
Raised $12M in November [78]

HeyGears Technology (China)

3D printer manufacturer (metals)
and manufacturing platform
Raised $60M in December
(Series B) [79]

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Market trends and sentiment

Footnote:
* The historic market size was calculated by averaging the market size reported by Wohler’s

associates [80], EY [81], and SmarTech [82].
** The forecasted market size in the media market size reported by all market analysts.
*** The worst-case and best-case scenarios were calculated starting at ±15% of the market

size in 2018 and by applying 20% and 28% CAGR respectively.

3D Printing market forecast

The graph above summarizes data reported by ten reputable market analysts who
evaluated the additive manufacturing market segment in 2019. It was constructed
based on publicly available information and it provides the best estimate of the current
size and future potential of the global 3D printing market by combining data from different
sources.

In 2019, the global 3D printing market was estimated at $12.1B on average (or at a range
between $9.9B and $15.0B by different analysts), seeing a 25% year-over-year growth
since 2014. This includes revenue from 3D printing systems, software, materials, and
services, but excludes internal corporate investments in AM technologies.

For the following five years, analysts expect the market to grow on average at 24% CAGR,
reaching $35.0B by 2024 and doubling in size approximately every three years. However,
external variable factors could lead to growth as low as 20% or as high as 28%, resulting
in a market size below $24.0B or above $45.0B in 2024. Such variables include factors
internal to the 3D printing industry, such as the rate of adoption for serial production,
developments in materials and systems, and reduction in total costs. They also include
external factors, such as customer demands and the greater economic climate.

$0.0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

$12.1

$9.3

$7.1
$6.0

$4.8$4.0

$15.4

$19.1

$23.2

$28.3

$34.9

E
st

im
at

e
d

m
ar

ke
t

va
lu

e
($

U
S

b
)

Historic data
Forecast
Worst-case
Best-case
Wohler’s
EY
SmarTech
IDC
RNM
Report Linker
Alliend Market
Brand Essence
Insight Partners
Accumen Research

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In 2019, two large market research studies by EY [81] and Ultimaker [83] were published.
Both studies surveyed a large sample of industrial companies—both current users and
non-users of 3D printing—to assess their sentiment towards the technology. Both surveys
found evidence that supports the accelerated adoption rate of 3D printing by industrial
users, but also found a lot of room for growth, which will likely have a very positive effect
on the growth of the 3D printing market in the coming years.

More importantly, EY’s study found that 18% of the respondents already use AM for serial
production. This means that 3D printing has “crossed the chasm” of adoption, which
lies at the 16% mark, according to the technology adoption life cycle model [84]. At this
rate, the use of AM for manufacturing end-use parts is expected to be adopted by the
early majority (that is 50% of all companies) by 2022, signifying a significant increase in
production volumes and hence market size.

For example, EY reported that out of 900 companies, 65% are already applying 3D
printing and 18% are considering its application in the near future (from 24% and 12%
respectively in 2016). Ultimaker paints a slightly different picture. Their survey found out
of 2,500+ companies, 67% of the respondents were aware of the terms ‘3D printing’ or
‘Additive Manufacturing’, but only 35% are applying it—which is still a significant increase
from 10% in 2014.

“The adoption of
3D printing by
professionals
tripled over the
past 3 years.”

However, the growth of the 3D printing market hasn’t happened without some hiccups.
For example, the latest Wohler’s report found that desktop 3D printing systems saw a
significant decline in annual growth in 2018, as well as several complete shutdowns [80].
This signifies that the consumer sector is not a suitable target market for the technology.

The metal 3D printing market—a segment that has been growing at a rate of over 40%
year-over-year for the past five years, driving the whole growth of the market [80] —
may also start slowing down. In a recent study by Roland Berger, the consultants of the
firm identified that many metal AM users are currently having problems reaching full
utilization of their machines [85]. That was attributed to the increased number of suppliers
of commodity components, which surpasses the current demand. The strict and currently
often unclear process qualification requirements for specialized applications may also
have had an influence.

The poor performance of the 3D printing stocks is another worrisome indicator.
In the past four years, out of the top five US stocks related to 3D printing, only two
(the service providers, Materialise and Proto Labs) have managed to beat the market [86] [87].
However, market commentators note that PRNT, the ETF which is designed to track the
price movements of stocks of companies involved in the 3D printing industry, can make
a comeback in the near future [88] [89].

The promoters of growth

The critics

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Market share of global AM players

Source: EY [81]

We have identified that the AM service provider sector is one of the fastest-growing
sectors within the 3D printing industry. Its growth is even impacting the manufacturing
industry in less obvious ways. For example, forging and casting manufacturers with
activities in the aerospace industry are reluctant to expand their capacity, even when
demand increases, because they see AM as a replacement technology and they don’t
want to be faced with unused capacity [90].

The size of this segment is estimated by market analysts to be approximately 34% of
the total. Based on research by 3D Hubs, at least 35-45% of this share can be attributed
to “online manufacturing”. The term “online manufacturing” or “Manufacturing-as-a-
Service” refers to online platforms that automate the procurement and sourcing process
in the manufacturing industry [91]. It is the opposite to “offline” manufacturing where most
operations on the supply chain (inquiry, price negotiation, etc.) are performed manually.

The next sections analyze transactional data collected through the 3D Hubs platform
to create a snapshot of the global distribution of 3D printing demand by professional
users today.

3D printer manufacturers
Manufacturing platforms
Materials producers
Software
3D scanning

38%

4%
8%

16%

34%

Service providers
and online manufacturing

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This map gives an overview of the global distribution of online 3D printing demand based
on transactional data from the 3D Hubs platform. It graphically represents the location
of customers who collectively ed more than 550,000+ 3D printed parts in 2019.

North America and Europe are the clear leaders in online 3D printing, representing
together more than 95% of the global demand. The US alone amounts to nearly 50%
of the worldwide demand for 3D printed parts.

Compared to 2018, the total value of 3D printed parts increased by up to 300%, while
the number of parts printed did not increase at a similar rate. This is a clear indicator that
online 3D printing has moved away from the low-value consumer market and has been
integrated into the workflows of professional users who have higher demands in terms of
performance and quality, and are willing to pay the higher price tag.

Global online 3D printing demand

13,558 258,484,531

Online 3D printing demand by country

Source: 3D Hubs

Geographic distribution

13,558Source: 3D Hubs

Online 3D printing demand by country

258,484,531

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Online 3D printing demand by US state

Source: 3D Hubs

More than 260,000 parts were 3D printed in the USA through the 3D Hubs online
manufacturing platform in 2019. The map shows the distribution of 3D printing demand
by state based on the customer’s location.

California extended its lead as the state with the highest 3D printing demand in 2019.
More than 22% of the total parts produced in the US were shipped to customers based
in this state—from 21% in 2018. The strong hardware and tech scenes of Silicon Valley,
Los Angeles and San Diego are a substantial driver of this trend.

New York, Texas, and Massachusetts followed at 7%, 6%, and 5% respectively. These
are also states that house companies with a strong focus on innovation and technology.

“The total value
of 3D printed parts
tripled in 2019
compared to year.”

13,558 97,645,192

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More than 230,000 parts were 3D printed for European customers through the 3D Hubs
platform in 2019, which is only 30,000 short compared to the US. The map shows the
countries with the highest demand.

The UK led the way in online 3D printing with almost 100,000 parts 3D printed in 2019
and delivered to 7,000+ customers—that is 44% of the total demand in Europe, surpassing
even the state of California. The Netherlands came second and Germany close third with
30,000+ parts, while France followed with 15,000+ parts.

The European online 3D printing demand follows similar patterns to the demand
in the US. It’s driven by countries with a strong focus on technological innovation,
hardware and manufacturing.

“The demand for
3D printing in
Europe remains
strong, with
the UK leading.”

Online 3D printing demand by European country

Source: 3D Hubs 13,558 97,645,192

Trend Report 2020 22 / 38
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www.3dhubs.com

Online 3D printing demand by industry

Source: 3D Hubs

Industrial
Electrical
Consumer
Services
Medical
Automotive
Aerospace
Media & Arts

31%

21%14%

10%

10%

6%
4%

3%

It was found that …