The global desktop 3D printing market size has reached USD 2.23 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.0% from 2022 to 2030. The emerging applications of additive manufacturing, as well as the increasing need for rapid prototyping and advanced manufacturing in several verticals, are driving the expansion of desktop 3D printers worldwide. Market expansion is anticipated to be hampered by material limits, machinery limitations, and intellectual property concerns. Increased demand for rapid prototyping has allowed manufacturers to design and build efficient products and systems. These factors are expected to collectively drive the market during the projected period.
Furthermore, the simplicity of production and additional benefits provided by 3D printing technology are vital drivers in the widespread acceptance of 3D printing technology across numerous verticals. Prototyping, structural design of structures and end products, modeling, and improved time to market are advantages of 3D printing for manufacturers. It has significantly reduced manufacturing costs, allowing manufacturers to provide superior products at affordable prices.
The hardware component dominated the market with a revenue share of 63.8% in 2021. It is expected to register the highest CAGR of 21.3% during the forecast period. Rapid prototyping and advanced manufacturing practices have fueled the growth of the segment. Factors including increasing penetration of consumer electronic products, rapid industrialization, and urbanization, developing civil infrastructure, and optimized labor costs are driving the growth.
The hardware is responsible for producing end parts with similar parameters, including its orientation, position, and placement of components concerning other elements in the print bed. However, maintaining the reliability and accuracy of desktop printers is a prime challenge for hardware manufacturers as the fabrication of metals remains crucial.
The software was the second dominant segment in 2021 with a share of 28.5%. It is expected to witness a notable CAGR of 20.4% during the forecast period. Increasing demand for efficient automation of project and production management for 3D manufacturing has increased the growth of the software segment. Each step of the production process in 3D printing primarily depends on software. In addition to automating production operations like build preparation and machine scheduling, the software can provide real-time production data and insights.
The digital light processing segment dominated the market in 2021 with a share of 20.9% and is expected to register the highest CAGR of 21.8% during the forecast period. Increasing demand for jewelry production and manufacturing of parts with a minute and fine details has increased the adoption of digital light processing across several industry verticals. Digital light processing is similar to that of stereolithography, where a safelight (light bulb) is used instead of a UV laser to cure the photopolymer resin.
The stereolithography segment is expected to witness a significant CAGR of 20.5% during the forecast period. The stereolithography process enables users to create concept models, complex parts with intricate designs, and rapid prototypes for cosmetics. The process is one of the most traditional methods used for building 3D printed objects. The technique incorporates the stereolithography apparatus (SLA), which transforms liquid plastic into solid objects. The technology has gained momentum since it makes highly accurate parts using advanced materials and offers isotropic and watertight prototypes featuring a fine and smooth surface finish.
The functional parts segment dominated the market and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 21.1% during the forecast period. The high market share can be attributed to the increasing demand for designing and building functional parts. 3D printing is a versatile process used to create anything from desk trinkets to ornaments and functioning parts. Smaller joints and other metallic hardware connecting components are examples of functional parts.
These functioning pieces' accuracy and precise sizing are essential when developing machinery and systems. 3D printing of functional parts offers the users to easily fabricate the prototype without relying on machine shop resources, allowing iteration with shorter lead times leading to lessened fabrication costs and reduced time to market.
The prototyping segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.0% from 2022 to 2030. Prototyping has witnessed extensive adoption across several industry verticals. The automotive, aerospace and defense verticals use prototyping to design and develop parts, components, and complex systems. Prototyping offers highly accurate results allowing manufacturers to build reliable end products. Hence, the segment is anticipated to continue dominating the market during the forecast period.
The plastic segment held the largest revenue share of 55.4 % in 2021. The demand for plastic to create 3D-printed molds has increased due to its highly flexible manufacturing capabilities. Plastic is comparatively inexpensive, readily available, and suitable for several extrusion processes. Moreover, researchers are conducting extensive research and development to innovate new polymers by synthesizing several polymers and blending them with existing raw materials to ensure better performance in the final product.
On the other hand, the metal segment is predicted to expand at the fastest CAGR of 30.4 % during the forecast period. Metals for 3D printing are becoming more popular as the demand for direct fabrication of complicated end-use parts grows. Metals enable tooling for traditional manufacturing technologies easier, lowering costs and shortening lead times. Metal 3D printing blends 3D printing's design flexibility with metal's mechanical qualities.
The design software segment dominated the market in 2021, gaining a market share of 40.2%, and is expected to reach USD 1,220.3 million by 2030. Design software allows users in the automotive, construction, aerospace and defense, and engineering verticals to create designs of the object to be printed. Design software acts as a bridge between the components to be printed and the printer’s hardware.
On the other hand, the scanning software is projected to witness the fastest CAGR of 21.4% during the forecast period. The growing popularity of scanning items and saving scanned papers is expected to increase the demand for scanning software. Scanning software maintains images of objects regardless of size or dimensions for 3-dimensional printing of these products as needed.
The dental/healthcare segment dominated the market in 2021 with a 23.5% revenue share. Due to the active implementation of technology in many production processes, the healthcare vertical is expected to contribute considerably to the expansion of desktop additive manufacturing. It contributes to developing artificial tissues and muscles that mimic actual human tissues and can be utilized in replacement surgeries in the healthcare sector. These features are likely to aid in adopting desktop 3D printers in the healthcare sector and contribute considerably to the vertical's growth.
The fashion & jewelry segment is anticipated to witness a notable CAGR of 21.8% during the forecast period. The increasing adoption of 3D printing in manufacturing miniatures, imitation jewelry, clothing, apparel, and art and craft has propelled the market growth. The concepts of investment casting and lost wax casting are integrated with the capabilities of a digital design and manufacturing process for manufacturing 3D-printed jewelry.
Jewelers utilize CAD software tools to create digital designs, and these designs are then fed into a high-resolution 3D printer to print the 3D printed patterns, which are cast into the mold. 3D printing minimizes time-intensive manual labor and allows users to efficiently preserve the design and modify and recreate it when required.
North America is estimated to be the leading revenue contributor in the global market. It is anticipated to reach USD 3.768.4 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of over 19.0% throughout the forecast period. Factors such as the presence of significant players in the region and the ability of consumers to spend higher when compared to other regions are further expected to drive the market across the region.
Using 3D-printed metal components in private aerospace companies and the government sector, coupled with high defense expenditure in the U.S., is expected to propel market growth. The U.S. and Canada have primarily adopted 3D printing technology across several manufacturing processes, which has largely contributed to the development of the 3D printing market. The regional market offers lucrative opportunities for additive manufacturing in different applications.
Europe is likely to emerge as the second most promising region during the study period. Rising technological advancements and large-scale adoption of additive manufacturing technology are the factors propelling growth in this region. Factors such as favorable government policies increased funding for R&D, and technology standardization is expected to boost the market growth. According to AMFG, a leading European player engaged in providing automation software for additive manufacturing, Europe is the region with the highest number of additive manufacturing firms.
The market is anticipated to witness increased competition due to several players' presence. The major players have heavily invested in R&D activities to innovate and develop new composites for 3D printing across several verticals has resulted in these players gaining a competitive edge over their peers. They are continuously improvising the 3D printing technology in response to the growing demand for desktop 3D printing applications from the fashion & jewelry, objects, and construction verticals for manufacturing purposes.
The key players are primarily following organic and inorganic strategies, including new product development, expansions, mergers and acquisitions, and investments to intensify the competition among the players in the ecosystem. For instance, in March 2022, 3D Systems partnered with Enhatch, an AI-software application provider for medical surgeries. This partnership will allow the integration of AI with 3D System's patient-specific solutions comprising services such as advanced software, custom implant, and instrumentation design, expert treatment planning, and manufacturing processes. The integration has enabled 3D Systems to meet the rising demand for personalized medical devices more efficiently. Some prominent players in the global desktop 3D printing market include:
3D Systems, Inc.
3DCeram
Autodesk, Inc.
Canon, Inc.
Dassault Systèmes
EnvisionTEC
EOS (Electro-Optical Systems) GmbH
ExOne
GE Additive
Materialise NV
Proto Labs, Inc.
Shapeways, Inc.
Stratasys Ltd.
Voxeljet AG
Report Attribute |
Details |
Market size value in 2022 |
USD 2.69 billion |
Revenue forecast in 2030 |
USD 12.39 billion |
Growth Rate |
CAGR of 21.0% from 2022 to 2030 |
Base year for estimation |
2021 |
Historical data |
2017 - 2020 |
Forecast period |
2022 - 2030 |
Quantitative units |
Revenue in USD Million and CAGR from 2022 to 2030 |
Report coverage |
Revenue forecast, company ranking, competitive landscape, growth factors, and trends |
Segments covered |
Component, technology, software, application, vertical, material, region |
Regional scope |
North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Latin America; Middle East & Africa |
Country scope |
U.S.; Canada; Mexico; U.K.; Germany; France; Italy; Spain; China; Japan; India; South Korea; Singapore; Brazil |
Key companies profiled |
3D Systems, Inc.; 3DCeram; Autodesk, Inc.; Canon, Inc.; Dassault Systèmes; EnvisionTEC; EOS (Electro-Optical Systems) GmbH; ExOne; GE Additive; Materialise NV; Proto Labs, Inc.; Shapeways, Inc.; Stratasys Ltd.; Voxeljet AG |
Customization scope |
Free report customization (equivalent up to 8 analysts working days) with purchase. Addition or alteration to country, regional & segment scope. |
Pricing and purchase options |
Avail customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs. Explore purchase options |
This report forecasts revenue growths at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2017 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global desktop 3D printing market report based on component, technology, software, application, vertical, material, and region:
Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)
Hardware
Software
Services
Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)
Stereolithography
Fuse Deposition Modeling
Selective Laser Sintering
Digital Light Processing
Laminated Object Manufacturing
Others
Software Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)
Design Software
Inspection Software
Printer Software
Scanning Software
Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)
Prototyping
Tooling
Functional Parts
Vertical Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)
Educational Purpose
Fashion & Jewellery
Objects
Dental/Healthcare
Food
Others
Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)
Plastic
Metal
Ceramic
Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)
North America
U.S.
Canada
Mexico
Europe
U.K.
Germany
France
Italy
Spain
Asia Pacific
China
Japan
India
South Korea
Singapore
South America
Brazil
Middle East & Africa
b. The global desktop 3D printing market size was estimated at USD 2.23 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 2.69 billion in 2022.
b. The global desktop 3D printing market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 21.0% from 2022 to 2030 to reach USD 12.39 billion by 2030.
b. The plastic segment led the global desktop 3D printing market and accounted for more than 55.4% share of the global revenue in 2021.
b. Some key players operating in the desktop 3D printing market include Stratasys, Ltd.; Materialise NV; 3D Systems, Inc.; Protolabs Inc.; Dassault Systemes; Autodesk Inc.; and Canon Inc.
b. Key factors that are driving the global desktop 3D printing market growth include the increasig necessity of prototyping and designing across several verticals such as denatl/healthcare, fashion, and jewelery among others.
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