Global Metal 3D Printing Market: Analysis & Forecast, 2019-2025

 Growth Drivers

• Cost-effectiveness, greater design flexibility and lower wastage
• Reduced prices of metal 3D printers coupled with advanced raw materials
• Increasing investments in research and development (R&D)

Market Challenges

• Technological challenges
• Software challenges
• Quality assurance challenges
• Workforce challenges
• Financial challenges
• Workflow and integration challenges

Market Opportunities

• Growing adoption of metal used in aerospace and defense sector
• Producing high quality metal powder with enhanced quality
• COVID-19

Key Companies Profiled

Aubert & Duval, Carpenter Technology Corporation, DMG MORI, GENERAL ELECTRIC, HP Development Company, L.P., Intech Additive Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Linde, Materialise, Oerlikon, Renishaw plc, Sandvik AB, SLM Solutions, STRATASYS LTD., TRUMPF, and 3D Systems, Inc., among others.

Key Questions Answered:

• How much revenue was generated by the global metal 3D printing market in 2019, and how much revenue is expected to be generated by the market by 2025?
• What are the major market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges in the global metal 3D printing market?
• How is the global metal 3D printing market expected to grow during the forecast period, on the basis of segments such as:
• metals/alloys type, including titanium alloys, nickel alloys, steel, aluminum and others (Copper and its alloys, tungsten, cobalt chrome-alloys, gold, silver).
• metal 3D printing technology type, including Powder Bed Fusion, Material/Binder Jetting, Direct Energy Deposition, extrusion, and others (Resin-based and sheet lamination-based metal 3D printing).
• raw material form, including powder-based, resin-based, lamina-based and filament / wire-based.
• applications, including aerospace & defense, automotive, healthcare and other (Consumer, Construction, Tool and die, general engineering).
• region, including North America, Asia-Pacific (APJ), China, Europe, U.K., Rest-of-the-World (RoW).
• impact of COVID-19 on business dynamics of different regions
• What are the key development strategies which are implemented by the major players in order to sustain in the competitive market?
• What are the key regulatory implications in developed and developing regions towards the regulations and standards for metal 3D printing?
• Who are the leading players with significant offerings to the global metal 3D printing market? What is the current market dominance for each of these leading players?

Market Overview

The global metal 3D printing market is undergoing growing adoption in the present market, especially in aerospace and defense and healthcare sectors. The aerospace and defense sector has been utilizing this technology toward the development of its complex high-performance gas turbine engines and its structural components. The healthcare segment has been utilizing this technology for the development of human implants. However, the technology has come into greater force toward the development of essential health-related equipment, such as ventilator parts at the time of COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the various metals/alloys which can be 3D printed, aluminum alloys hold the largest market share primarily due to the high strength-to-weight ratio, high corrosion resistance, and good fatigue strength with better build rates. Also, aluminum alloys are economical in nature as compared to nickel or titanium alloys.

However, in terms of growth rates, the market for the titanium alloys are expected to be growing at the fastest rate during the forecast period 2020-2025 which can be attributed mostly to their high increased adoption in aerospace & defense and healthcare sectors.

Among the various types of technologies employed for metal 3D printing, powder-bed fusion is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period 2020-2025 mainly due to the economical nature of powders and their ease of handling. Also, the metal products developed via powder-bed 3d printing process are expected to possess high dimensional accuracy.

Among the various forms of raw materials for the metals, employed for metal 3D printing, powder-based raw materials are expected to dominate the market during the forecast period 2020-2025.

Apart from growing demands for the metal 3D printing, there are some factors which are likely to hinder the market growth. The major factors hindering the market growth are high costs of metal powders and industry grade 3D printers, lower strength, residual stress and cracking, heat build-up and oxidation, surface finish, porosity, and accuracy.

The global metal 3D printing market accounted for $378.0 million in 2019 and is expected to be $738.8 million by 2025. The market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 24.41% during the forecast period 2020 to 2025. The market growth is attributed to the increased adoption of the technology toward the aerospace and defense and healthcare sectors. The market is expected to witness thrust due to its gaining popularity at the time of global crisis COVID-19, where the technology exhibited its exceptional capability of in-house development of essential health-related items such as ventilator parts and other door-handles made of copper (capable of killing coronavirus to 99.6% in just five hours).

Competitive Landscape

The metal 3D printing technology possesses capability of developing complex metal objects with high dimensional accuracy in quick time, without depending much on supply chain. As a result, there have been increasing adoption for this technology in sectors which emphasize more on the development of products demanding high quality where the cost does not restrict the market. Among these, aerospace and defense and healthcare sectors are ones which have been witnessing high adoptions, paving market opportunities both for established market players and new market entrants. Moving forward, there have been various kinds of business activities exercised by the market players so as to establish themselves and create good customer base across the globe.

Some of the business strategies executed in this regard are product launches, business expansions, mergers and acquisitions and signing of partnerships/collaborations/joint ventures between established players, as well as new entrants in the metal 3D printing market. Several companies, including Admatec BV, DMG MORI, GENERAL ELECTRIC, HP Development Company, L.P., Intech Additive Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Markforged, Inc., Materialise, Oerlikon, Optomec, Inc., Renishaw plc, Sandvik AB, SLM Solutions, STRATASYS LTD., TRUMPF, and 3D Systems, Inc., were involved in new product launches. Carpenter Technology Corporation, DMG MORI, GENERAL ELECTRIC, HP Development Company, L.P., Materialise, Oerlikon, Sandvik AB, SLM Solutions, 3D Systems, Inc., Rapid Advanced Manufacturing Limited (RAM3D), and Siemens, were involved in the business expansions. AddUp, Carpenter Technology Corporation, DMG MORI, GENERAL ELECTRIC, Intech Additive Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Linde, Materialise, Oerlikon, Sandvik AB, and Xerox Corporation, among others, were involved in the strategy of mergers and acquisitions and Aubert & Duval, Carpenter Technology Corporation, DMG MORI, GENERAL ELECTRIC, HP Development Company, L.P., Intech Additive Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Linde, Materialise, Oerlikon, Renishaw plc, Sandvik AB, SLM Solutions, STRATASYS LTD., TRUMPF, and 3D Systems, Inc., among others, were involved in the partnerships, collaborations and joint-ventures.

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