Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Sizing the market
It's impossible to know how many small businesses, exactly, have gravitated
towards the marketplace for nimble manufacturing services. However, some
robust market data exists. Each year, additive manufacturing industry consul-
tant and analyst Terry Wohlers puts together an annual
Wohlers Report
. The
report features market and usage data, plus case studies gathered from roughly
100 of the larger companies worldwide that sell 3D printers, or provide or pur-
chase printing services. The
Wohlers Report
is a goldmine of insight into the
additive manufacturing industry. It has become the industry's unoficial “state
of the union” assessment for analysts, for executives and journalists alike.
When Terry Wohlers interviews the world's leading 3D printing companies,
one of the questions he asks them is who's buying their printers or hiring their
printing services. His research shows that consumer electronics companies are
heavy users of 3D printed products and services. Next are companies in the
auto industry, the medical and dental industries, and aerospace manufacturers.
Wohlers market data indicates that roughly 40 percent of the world's print-
ers are located in the United States. Companies in Germany and Japan are also
actively exploring and using 3D printing, each hosting about 10 percent of the
world's printers. Finding solid data on the presence of 3D printing in China is
dificult. According to Wohlers data, despite its dominance in mass manufactur-
ing, China is home to only about 8.5 percent of the world's 3D printers.
3D printers sold per year. Sales of consumer-grade machines (less than
$5,000) begins in 2007 and outpaces sales of industrial-grade machines
in 2011.
