3D Printing
The Industry in Numbers
Germany is Europe’s number one 3D printing market. With its renowned engineering heritage, Germany boasts numerous manufacturing facilities in those industries that can help international investors with their expansion into Europe.
Global FDI in the 3D Printing Industry 2013-2022
Global projects | 1,157 |
Favored destination countries | 1. USA 2. Germany |
Main source countries | 1. USA 2. Japan 3. Germany |
Source: Germany Trade & Invest 2023
Four out of ten industry companies in Germany already use 3D printing
A 2021 bitkom survey shows that some 44 percent of industrial companies in Germany with more than 100 employees were already using 3D printing technologies and 20 percent planned to use them in the near future. Industrial companies already using 3D printing primarily produce samples or molds (57 percent), spare parts (48 percent) or visual models (33 percent).
Growing Global 3D Printing Demand
The global AM market is growing according to the most recent Wohlers Report. Average annual growth during the period 2019 to 2022 was 16.6 percent. Additive manufacturing products and services grew by 18.3 percent to USD 18 billion in 2022 as the market recovered from the coronavirus pandemic.
The ten largest AM system manufacturers represented around USD 2.7 billion (15.1 percent) of the entire AM industry in 2022. Products include AM systems, materials and after-market products including software and lasers. Services include revenue generated by independent service providers, training, conference, expositions, publications, and maintenance or consulting services.
Revenues from AM products worldwide increased to over USD 7.3 billion in 2022 – a year-on-year increase of 17 percent. Turnover from services grew by 19.1 percent to more than USD 10.7 billion in 2022.
Desktop printers that retail for less than USD 5,000 increased by 6.1 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year to a total revenue of over USD 1 billion. Industrial AM systems turnover was forecast at almost USD 3.8 billion in 2022, equivalent to an increase of 11 percent compared to 2021. Globally, USD 3.2 billion was spent in 2022 on AM industrial and AM desktop systems materials, representing an increase of 25.5 percent on the previous year.
Polymer powders were the dominant AM material for the second consecutive year, enjoying a 37.9 percent share compared to photopolymers – for three decades the dominant AM material – with 21 percent.
