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It was an honor to keynote the second day and moderate a pivotal panel—“A Manifesto for a Competitive European Additive Manufacturing Sector”—at the recent Bayern Innovative Next Generation Manufacturing conference in Munich. The event and the conversations it sparked offered unique insight into the landscape, strengths, and urgency facing Europe’s additive manufacturing (AM) ecosystem.
Europe, and Germany in particular, is the technology powerhouse of AM. Yet, as discussed repeatedly at the conference, the global lead in innovation does not always translate into fast adoption or industrial competitiveness—especially compared to the US and China. Showcasing Wohlers Associates’ global perspective, I hope the following reflections will support European leaders in shaping the next chapter for AM.
To illustrate the current state of the additive manufacturing (AM) industry, figure below compares the export of AM machines during the first half of 2024 and 2025 across China, Germany, and the United States.
The first key insight concerns the scale of activity. Over the past two years, China’s AM machine exports averaged roughly $700 million in the first half of each year (ranging between $676 million and $766 million), compared to about $280 million for Germany and $100 million for the United States. This means China is not only a net exporter, but it also operates at a scale approximately 2.5 to 6 times larger than that of Germany and the U.S., respectively.
The second insight is that China’s AM machine exports grew by approximately 13% year- over-year in the first half of 2025, while both Germany and the United States remained largely flat over the same period. This indicates that China is not only operating at a much higher scale but is also continuing to expand its export volume, widening its lead in global AM manufacturing capacity.
Together, these trends highlight China’s accelerating leadership in AM machine production and export, signaling a widening gap between its manufacturing capacity and that of other major economies.
Germany hosts an unrivaled constellation of advanced manufacturing hubs, such as:
Despite a thriving network—backed by leadership in research—industry voices repeatedly stated: “We can innovate, but implementing and industrializing AM at scale remains a challenge.” With strategic and coordinated efforts across regional AM networks, participants emphasized that a public-private partnership following the example of America Makes, a pendant “Germany Makes”, could spearhead not only technological development but also drive industrial adoption and large-scale implementation of AM in Germany. However, at this point, “Germany Makes” does only exist as an informal alliance of Germany’s key hubs—Aachen, Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, and Munich.
But is collaboration on a German-national-level the solution for Europe? Participants doubt this and highlight the importance of meaningful collaboration within the Member States of the European Union, through the integration of policy, academia, and market intelligence in EU-wide unified initiatives like AM-Europe.
In moderating the “Manifesto for a Competitive European Additive Manufacturing Sector” panel, joined by Filip Geerts (CECIMO), Alexander Jakschik (ULT AG/VDMA), and Dr. Adriaan B. Spierings (Swissmem), the focus was to turn Europe’s R&D dominance into industrial success. Three core imperatives echoed throughout the discussion and the AM-Europe manifesto:
While Germany’s Coalition Agreement 2025 references additive manufacturing, it currently lacks dedicated funding for industrial deployment. In contrast, coordinated government and defense initiatives in the U.S. provide valuable examples of strategic support for AM adoption and supply chain readiness.
Recent U.S. policy actions include ambitious Department of War mandates for advanced manufacturing, rapid prototyping, and industrial base sustainment. Programs like AM Forward—catalyzed by Astro America—bring together public and private partners to enable defense suppliers to adopt AM, supporting projects from large-scale arsenal deployments to ship repairs in remote theaters. Dedicated funds, such as Stifel’s AM equity initiative, further expand access to capital and innovation for suppliers. The pending NDAA 2026 reinforces this momentum, proposing robust support for additive manufacturing—targeting the production of 1,000,000 parts via advanced manufacturing, with funding increases of +296% for rapid prototyping and +130% for industrial base sustainment, though these provisions remain under review and subject to change.
For Germany and Europe, the lesson is clear: robust and well-coordinated government support, paired with collaborative networks, is fundamental to translating innovation into competitive adoption and industrial resilience. The ultimate course remains in the hands of policymakers, but the evidence from abroad is compelling.
Europe possesses the talent, technology, and connectivity needed for AM leadership. What is required now is coordination, speed, and funding—with action rather than mere intent. Collaborative networks, pan-European initiatives, and expanded public-private funding can transform research into real-world competitive success.
Ultimately, the way forward for Germany and Europe rests with their own vision and decisiveness. But as international evidence and peer experience show, the path to global AM competitiveness is paved with collaboration and dedicated investment—empowering Europe to shape the future of advanced manufacturing.
Wohlers Associates is evolving alongside the additive manufacturing industry—shifting from a traditional report to building a dynamic, next-generation intelligence ecosystem. The Wohlers Report remains our flagship, but we are building far more: an ecosystem for next-generation AM market intelligence. Here’s what’s ahead:
The full platform and Wohlers Report 2026 will launch in Q1 2026.
Join us in this journey. Participate in the upcoming Wohlers Report 2026 survey and help shape the intelligence that defines the future of additive manufacturing.
https://astm.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0CdYUgCFosCxAvs
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About the Author
Mahdi Jamshid, PhD, is Director of Market Intelligence at Wohlers Associates powered by ASTM International.
Technical, market, and strategic advice on additive manufacturing, 3D printing, and rapid product development.
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