For
more information:
Wohlers
Associates, Inc.
970-225-0086
Fax 970-225-2027
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New
Industry Report on Additive Manufacturing Finds Significant
Growth
Opportunities in Direct Part Production
FORT
COLLINS, COLORADO, USA, May
4, 2009—Wohlers Associates, Inc. today announced the publication of Wohlers
Report 2009, a 250-page analysis of the newest developments and trends
in additive manufacturing (AM) worldwide. AM systems build parts layer by
layer and are used for a wide range of applications, including design
review and validation, fit and function prototyping, pattern making, and
tooling. Increasingly, AM is being used for custom and replacement part
manufacturing, limited-edition products, short-run production, and in some
instances, full production.
The
global market for AM products and services grew to an estimated $1.183
billion in 2008, according to Wohlers Report 2009. The services
segment of the industry was a bright spot, with growth of 7.9%. The AM
industry is expected to more than double in size by 2015, according to the
report.
The use of additive manufacturing for direct part production has grown to
become the second most popular application of AM technology. Companies
representing thousands of users and customers of AM technology from around
the world responded to a survey on the subject. Respondents believe that
part production from AM will represent 35.9% of their business in five
years and more than half (50.5%) in 10 years.
“Methods of additive manufacturing are creating new markets for
limited-edition and one-of-a-kind products,” said Terry Wohlers,
principal author of Wohlers Report 2009 and president of Wohlers
Associates. “Additive manufacturing is causing some companies and
individuals to rethink the way products are developed and brought to
market,” he explained. “A new type of manufacturer is emerging that is
not operating from a traditional manufacturing facility.” In the future,
opportunistic individuals will manufacture custom and personalized
products on demand from a spare room at home, a garage, or even a college
dormitory, Wohlers believes.
In
addition to its discussion of part production applications of AM, Wohlers
Report 2009 includes
industry growth estimates and forecasts, new developments and business
opportunities, emerging applications, research and development, and where
the industry is headed in the future. The study was created with support
from 54 co-authors, 65 service providers, 29 system manufacturers, and
many others worldwide. To support the review and analysis, the report
includes 31 charts and graphs, 45 tables, and 154 photographs and
illustrations.
The
softbound report sells for $475 in the U.S. and $495 in all other
countries. The report’s table of contents, as well as additional
information on the market and industry, are available at wohlersassociates.com.
Wohlers Associates, Inc. is a 22-year-old independent consulting firm
that works closely with manufacturing organizations to identify the best
approaches to rapid product development and additive manufacturing. The
company has provided consulting assistance to more than 150 organizations
in 21 countries.
###
The
following is the front cover of the new report. Click
here for
a larger image of the report’s front cover.
Report
Development
Team
The
following individuals and organizations contributed to
Wohlers Report 2009
and served as important
sources for information.
|
Mukesh Agarwala |
3D Product Development (India) |
|
Nadra Angerman |
Angerman Communications Group |
|
Hidefumi Aoyama |
Aspect (Japan) |
|
Daniel Attanasio |
Daimler AG (Germany) |
|
Paulo Jorge Bártolo |
Institute Polytechnic of Leiria
(Portugal) |
|
Joseph Beaman |
University of Texas at Austin |
|
Alain Bernard |
Ecole Centrale de Nantes (France) |
|
David Bourell |
University of Texas at Austin |
|
Dena Braun |
Alchemy Models |
|
Tim Caffrey |
Seventh Son Creative Services |
|
Ian Campbell |
Loughborough University (England) |
|
Andy Christensen |
Medical Modeling Inc. |
|
Rob Connelly |
FineLine Prototyping |
|
Deon de Beer |
Vaal University of Technology
(South Africa) |
|
Mike Durham |
Absolute Geometries |
|
Igor Drstvenšek |
University of Maribor
(Slovenia) |
|
Ismail Fidan |
Tennessee Tech University |
|
Joe Frascati |
Prototype Productions, Inc. |
|
Boris Fritz |
Northrop Grumman |
|
Ping Fu |
Geomagic, Inc. |
|
Ian Gibson |
National University of Singapore
(Singapore) |
|
Tim Gornet |
University of Louisville |
|
Andrzej Grzesiak |
FhG Institute for Mfg. Eng. &
Automation (Germany) |
|
Joan Guasch |
ASCAMM (Spain) |
|
Tsuneo Hagiwara |
CMET Inc. (Japan) |
|
Richard Hague |
Loughborough University (England) |
|
Ola Harrysson |
North Carolina State University |
|
Berndt Holmer |
IVF Industrial Research and
Development Corp. (Sweden) |
|
Neil Hopkinson |
Loughborough University (England)
|
|
Marjorie Adele Ingle |
University of Texas at El Paso |
|
Luca Iuliano |
Politecnico di Torino (Italy) |
|
Olivier Jay |
Danish Technological Institute
(Denmark) |
|
Troy Jensen |
Piper Jaffray |
|
Jason Jones |
De Montfort University (England) |
|
Rik Knoppers |
Promolding (The Netherlands) |
|
Kai Loose |
Daimler AG (Germany) |
|
Toshihiko Maeda |
NTT Data Engineering Systems
Corp. (Japan) |
|
Frank Medina |
University of Texas at El Paso |
|
Greg Morris |
Morris Technologies |
|
Tom Mueller |
Express Pattern |
|
Randall Newton |
CADCAMNet |
|
Charlie Norton |
NCP Leasing, Inc. |
|
John Obielodan |
Utah State University |
|
Phil Reeves |
Econolyst (England) |
|
Pete Sayki |
SICAM |
|
Joel Segal |
University of Nottingham
(England) |
|
Michael Siemer |
Mydea Technologies |
|
Brent Stucker |
Utah State University |
|
Gordon
Styles |
Star Prototype (China) |
|
Chris Tuck |
Loughborough University (England) |
|
Jukka Tuomi |
Helsinki University of Technology
(Finland) |
|
Jonas Van Vaerenbergh |
LayerWise
(Belgium) |
|
Ryan Wicker |
University of Texas at El Paso |
|
David Wimpenny |
De Montfort University (England) |
