3D printing
Additive manufacturing: polymer and metal printers, powders and resins, and print-on-demand part bureaus — a US$24.2B market
3D printing (additive manufacturing, AM) builds parts layer by layer from polymer filaments, resins and powders or from metal powders, rather than cutting or moulding them. The market sells printers, the materials they use, software, and printed parts from service bureaus and contract manufacturers to defence, aerospace, medical, automotive and research buyers. Wohlers Report 2026 puts global AM revenue at US$24.231 billion in 2025, up 10.9%. Most of that growth came from printing services (+15.5%), with machine sales up only 3.6%, and from Asia-Pacific (+19.8%), where Chinese makers such as Bambu Lab and BLT are taking share.
new market · sits inside NAICS 333248, 332710 · researched 2026-11-14
global revenue · world24.231
↗USD billions · 2025
global revenue · world21.9
↗USD billions · 2024
printing-services share of global AM revenue · world48
↗percent · 2025
materials share of global AM revenue · world20
↗percent · 2024
G
Growth
Dated and sourced; forecasts are labelled as forecasts.
- 2026-02Wohlers Report 2026: global AM revenue grew 10.9% in 2025 to US$24.231 billion. Printing services grew 15.5% and machine sales 3.6%. Asia-Pacific companies grew 19.8%, against 9% in both Europe and the Americas. ↗
- 2025-04Wohlers Report 2025: the industry grew 9.1% to US$21.9 billion in 2024. Machine makers' revenue declined, metal system suppliers in particular (an estimated 26% drop in machine sales year on year), while services, software and materials grew. ↗
- 2025-04FORECAST (Wohlers Associates, as reported by 3Dnatives): the AM market could reach US$115 billion by 2034. ↗
- 2026-02Wohlers Report 2026 names defence as the leading revenue-generating sector, followed by aerospace, medical and research. Companies are using the printers they already own more rather than buying new machines. ↗
S
Segments
Each linked segment has its own page with its companies.
- Plastic & resin 3D printers 7 — FDM/filament, SLA/DLP resin, SLS/MJF powder-bed systems, from desktop to industrial; 67.1% of machines on the market (Wohlers 2025)
- Metal 3D printers 5 — Laser powder-bed fusion, binder jetting and directed-energy systems for aerospace, defence, medical and energy parts; 29.7% of machines (Wohlers 2025)
- 3D printing materials & metal powders 5 — Filaments, photopolymer resins, polymer powders and atomized metal powders (titanium, nickel alloys, aluminum); the fastest-growing segment in 2024
- 3D printing services & contract manufacturing 5 — Service bureaus and on-demand marketplaces printing parts for customers; 48% of AM revenue in 2025
- Software — Build preparation, simulation and workflow software for AM production
C
Leading companies in 3d printing
16 companies, with the scale each source states.
| Company | Where | What they do | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stratasys SSYS ↗ | Eden Prairie, MN / Rehovot, US/IL since 1989 | Polymer printers (FDM, PolyJet, SLA, SAF) and materials. Acquired Markforged from Nano Dimension in May 2026, per Wikipedia. | revenue: 551.102 USD millions (2025) ↗ |
| 3D Systems DDD ↗ | Rock Hill, SC, United States since 1986 | SLA, SLS and direct-metal printers, materials and healthcare/dental AM | revenue: 386.902 USD millions (2025) ↗ |
| EOS ↗ | Krailling, Germany since 1989 | Industrial metal (DMLS) and polymer powder-bed printers, materials and AM consulting | employees: 1,350 employees (more than), 15 countries (2026) ↗ |
| Nikon SLM Solutions ↗ | Lübeck, Germany | Multi-laser metal powder-bed fusion systems. Nikon acquired the company by takeover offer in January 2023 and made it wholly owned on 2023-09-01. | — |
| HP Inc. (3D Printing & Personalization) HPQ ↗ | Palo Alto, CA, United States | Additive manufacturing solutions and supplies (Multi Jet Fusion), reported inside HP's Printing segment | — |
| Formlabs ↗ | Somerville, MA, United States since 2011 | Professional SLA and SLS printers and 45+ proprietary materials. Calls itself the largest supplier of professional SLA/SLS printers, with 130,000+ printers sold. | revenue: 250 USD millions (2025) ↗ |
| Bambu Lab ↗ | Shenzhen, China since 2020 | Consumer/prosumer FDM printers. Founded by former DJI engineers; Wohlers/3Dnatives cite it as reshaping desktop 3D printing. | — |
| Xi'an Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) 688333.SS ↗ | Xi'an, China since 2011 | Metal AM: printed parts, printers and raw materials for aerospace, engines, tooling, automotive and medical | revenue: 1.85 CNY billions (2025) ↗ |
| Carbon ↗ | Redwood City, CA, United States since 2013 | Resin (Digital Light Synthesis) printers and programmable resins for production parts | — |
| Velo3D VELO ↗ | Fremont, CA, United States | Metal laser powder-bed fusion printers and production parts | revenue: 45.973 USD millions (2025) ↗ |
| Nano Dimension NNDM ↗ | Waltham, MA, United States | AM roll-up. Bought Markforged in April 2025, then sold it to Stratasys in May 2026; Desktop Metal, which it bought in 2025, filed for Chapter 11 in July 2025 (Wikipedia). | revenue: 102.437 USD millions (2025) ↗ |
| Materialise MTLS ↗ | Leuven, Belgium | AM software, medical 3D printing and a large print-service bureau | revenue: 266.765 EUR millions (2024) ↗ |
| Xometry XMTR ↗ | North Bethesda, MD, United States since 2013 | On-demand manufacturing marketplace that routes 3D printing, CNC and other jobs to supplier shops (revenue covers all processes, not AM only) | revenue: 686.631 USD millions (2025) ↗ |
| Protolabs PRLB ↗ | Maple Plain, MN, United States since 1999 | Digital manufacturer of prototype and production parts: 3D printing, CNC, injection moulding (revenue covers all processes) | revenue: 533.127 USD millions (2025) ↗ |
| AP&C (Advanced Powders & Coatings) ↗ | Boisbriand, QC, Canada | Plasma-atomized titanium and nickel-alloy powders for AM; has made titanium powders since 2006 | capacity: 1,200 tons per year installed (two plants near Montréal) (2026) ↗ |
| Tekna ↗ | Sherbrooke, QC, Canada since 1990 | Plasma systems and spherical metal powders for AM, spun out of Université de Sherbrooke | — |
CA
In Canada
- 2018-06Ottawa committed up to $21.1 million and Quebec $9.4 million to TEKNA Plasma Systems (Sherbrooke) to produce metallic powders for additive manufacturing and electronics. The project is worth up to $128.4 million and is expected to create 170 jobs. ↗
- 2025-02FedDev Ontario announced $5 million for the University of Waterloo to create the Consortium for Sustainable Scale-up in Metal Additive Manufacturing (CSS-MAM), built on its Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing lab and meant to support over 85 businesses. ↗
- 2026-11AP&C, part of GE Aerospace's Colibrium Additive, runs two titanium/nickel AM powder plants near Montréal (Boisbriand and Saint-Eustache) with 1,200 tons per year of installed capacity. ↗
R
What would have to be true
- Machine sales are flat: Wohlers reports machine revenue up only 3.6% in 2025 after a decline in 2024, so printer makers depend on buyers' capital budgets loosening.
- Western printer makers are consolidating or failing (Desktop Metal Chapter 11 in 2025; Markforged sold twice in 13 months), so a new entrant needs a funded niche.
- Chinese makers (Bambu Lab in desktop, BLT in metal) are growing fastest and resetting prices. Tariff or trade moves could cut either way for North American suppliers.
- Growth depends on qualified serial production in defence, aerospace and medical, which needs material and process certification that takes years.
Quick answers
- How big is the 3d printing market?
- global revenue (world): 24.231 USD billions, 2025 — 3Dnatives; global revenue (world): 21.9 USD billions, 2024 — 3Dnatives.
- Is the 3d printing market growing?
- Wohlers Report 2026: global AM revenue grew 10.9% in 2025 to US$24.231 billion. Printing services grew 15.5% and machine sales 3.6%. Asia-Pacific companies grew 19.8%, against 9% in both Europe and the Americas.
- Who are the leading 3d printing companies?
- Stratasys (US/IL), 3D Systems (United States), EOS (Germany), Nikon SLM Solutions (Germany), HP Inc. (3D Printing & Personalization) (United States), Formlabs (United States), Bambu Lab (China), Xi'an Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) (China), and 8 more in the table above.
- Which 3d printing companies are publicly traded?
- Stratasys (SSYS), 3D Systems (DDD), Xi'an Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) (688333.SS), Velo3D (VELO), Nano Dimension (NNDM), Materialise (MTLS), Xometry (XMTR), Protolabs (PRLB).
- Which Canadian companies are in 3d printing?
- AP&C (Advanced Powders & Coatings), Boisbriand, QC; Tekna, Sherbrooke, QC.
- What is happening with 3d printing in Canada?
- Ottawa committed up to $21.1 million and Quebec $9.4 million to TEKNA Plasma Systems (Sherbrooke) to produce metallic powders for additive manufacturing and electronics. The project is worth up to $128.4 million and is expected to create 170 jobs.
- What are the main segments of the 3d printing market?
- Polymer printers, Metal printers, Materials, Printing services and contract manufacturing, Software.
- What are the risks in the 3d printing market?
- Machine sales are flat: Wohlers reports machine revenue up only 3.6% in 2025 after a decline in 2024, so printer makers depend on buyers' capital budgets loosening.
Sources (28)
- Wohlers Report 2026: Growth Continues, But Caution Defines the AM Market — 3Dnatives
- Wohlers Report 2025: 9.1% Growth for the Global Additive Manufacturing Market — 3Dnatives
- Stratasys XBRL company facts (20-F FY2025) — SEC
- 3D Systems XBRL company facts (10-K FY2025) — SEC
- Xometry XBRL company facts — SEC
- Proto Labs XBRL company facts — SEC
- Velo3D XBRL company facts — SEC
- Nano Dimension XBRL company facts — SEC
- Materialise XBRL company facts — SEC
- HP Inc. Form 10-K FY2025 — SEC
- Our History — EOS GmbH
- Company — Formlabs
- Nikon Successfully Completes the Squeeze-out of Nikon SLM Solutions AG — Nikon Corporation
- Xi'an Bright Laser Technologies revenue — StockAnalysis
- Xi'an Bright Laser Technologies profile — StockAnalysis
- About AP&C — AP&C
- About us — Tekna
- Governments of Canada and Quebec invest in Quebec's advanced manufacturing sector — ISED Canada
- Waterloo Region organizations to support local businesses and entrepreneurs... — FedDev Ontario
- Stratasys — Wikipedia
- 3D Systems — Wikipedia
- Formlabs — Wikipedia
- Bambu Lab — Wikipedia
- Carbon (company) — Wikipedia
- Markforged — Wikipedia
- Desktop Metal — Wikipedia
- Xometry — Wikipedia
- Protolabs — Wikipedia