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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. leads the world with the largest installed base of additive manufacturing users, international competition gaining
FORT
COLLINS, COLORADO, USA, May 21, 2013—Wohlers Associates, Inc. today announced the release of the Wohlers Report 2013,
the company’s annual in-depth analysis of additive manufacturing (AM)
and 3D printing worldwide. The report reveals trends that suggest the
U.S. may be losing its competitive advantage in the AM industry.
Wohlers Report 2013
covers all aspects of additive manufacturing, including its history,
applications, processes, manufacturers, and materials. It documents
important developments from the past 18 months, covers R&D and
collaboration activities in government, academia, and industry, and
summarizes the state of the industry in countries around the world.
This edition marks the report’s 18th consecutive year of publication.
According
to the new report, 38% of all industrial AM installations are in the
U.S. Japan is second with 9.7%, followed by Germany with 9.4%, and
China with 8.7%. Sixteen companies in Europe, seven in China, five in
the U.S., and two in Japan now manufacture and sell professional-grade,
industrial additive manufacturing systems. “This is a dramatic change
from a decade ago, when the mix was ten in the U.S., seven in Europe,
seven in Japan, and three in China,” said Tim Caffrey, a principal
author of the new report and associate consultant at Wohlers
Associates.
To maintain a competitive advantage, the White
House launched the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute
(NAMII) last year with the support of several agencies, including the
Department of Defense. This initiative seeks to accelerate the position
of the U.S. in the development and use of AM technology. “It will not
be easy, given what organizations in China and other regions of the
world have planned,” explained Terry Wohlers, a principal author of the
report and president of Wohlers Associates. China, Singapore, South
Africa, and many countries in Europe have committed hundreds of
millions of dollars in AM development and commercialization over the
next few years.
Wohlers Associates’ advice to key leaders in the
U.S. is to focus on the big picture with big goals, such as the
development of metal-based powder bed fusion systems and other advanced
AM system technology. Market forces and competitive pressures will take
care of the smaller challenges and incremental technology improvements.
According to Wohlers Report 2013,
revenues from all additive manufacturing products and services
worldwide were $2.204 billion in 2012. This is up 28.6% (CAGR) from
2011. An estimated 28.3% of the $2.204 billion is tied to the
production of parts for final products, rather than models, prototypes,
patterns, and other types of parts.
About Wohlers Associates:
Wohlers Associates is an independent consulting firm that provides
technical, marketing, and strategic advice on the new developments and
trends in rapid product development and additive manufacturing. For
more information, visit wohlersassociates.com.
About Wohlers Report 2013:
The 297-page annual study is packed with up-to-date and practical information.
It includes 35 charts and graphs, 55 tables, and more than 200 photographs and
illustrations. The report, which sells for US$495, was created with
support from 74 service providers, 31 system manufacturers, and the
valuable contributions of 70 co-authors from around the world.
Report Development
Team
The
following individuals and organizations contributed to Wohlers Report 2013
and served
as important sources for information.
Nadra Angerman | Angerman Communications Group | U.S. |
Mukesh Agarwala | 3D Product Development | India |
Paulo Jorge Bártolo | Institute Polytechnic of Leiria | Portugal |
Joseph Beaman, Jr. | University of Texas at Austin | U.S. |
Josh Berman | William Blair & Company | U.S. |
Alain Bernard | Ecole Centrale de Nantes | France |
Craig Blue | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | U.S. |
Milan Brandt | RMIT University | Australia |
Craig Brice | NASA Langley Research Center | U.S. |
David Bourell | University of Texas at Austin | U.S. |
Ian Campbell | Loughborough University | England |
William Cass | Cantor Colburn | U.S. |
Andy Christensen | Medical Modeling | U.S. |
Shane Collins | Oxford Performance Materials | U.S. |
Mel Cossette | Edmonds Community College | U.S. |
Frank Cox | Edmonds Community College | U.S. |
Deon de Beer | Vaal University of Technology | South Africa |
Carl Dekker | Met-L-Flo | U.S. |
Olaf Diegel | Massey University | New Zealand |
Brian Drab | William Blair & Company | U.S. |
Igor Drstvenšek | University of Maribor | Slovenia |
Sara Ebright | Direct Dimensions | U.S. |
Pablo Elenter | Robtec | Brazil |
Claus Emmelmann | LZN Laser Zentrum Nord | Germany |
Ismail Fidan | Tennessee Tech University | U.S. |
Tim Gornet | University of Louisville | U.S. |
Joan Guasch | Ascamm | Spain |
Ola Harrysson | North Carolina State University | U.S. |
Seiji Hayano | Aspect | Japan |
Ed Herderick | EWI | U.S. |
Dirk Herzog | LZN Laser Zentrum Nord | Germany |
Forrest Higgs | Brosis Innovations | U.S. |
Neil Hopkinson | University of Sheffield | England |
Luca Iuliano | Politecnico di Torino | Italy |
Jason Jones | De Montfort University | England |
Volker Junior | Junior & Tacke | Germany |
Karolien Kempen | Katholieke Universiteit Leuven | Belgium |
Eric Klemp | Direct Manufacturing Research Center | Germany |
Jannis Kranz | LZN Laser Zentrum Nord | Germany |
Janet Krech | Wohlers Associates | U.S. |
Jean-Pierre Kruth | Katholieke Universiteit Leuven | Belgium |
Tom Kurfess | Georgia Institute of Technology | U.S. |
Feng Lin | Tsinghua University | China |
Ulf Lindhe | netfabb | Germany |
Blake Marshall | U.S. Department of Energy | U.S. |
Wilhelm Meiners | Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology | Germany |
Jorge Mireles | University of Texas at El Paso | U.S. |
Ed Morris | National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute | U.S. |
Greg Morris | GE Aviation | U.S. |
Tim Mulrooney | William Blair & Company | U.S. |
Erkut Neğiş | TurkCADCAM | Turkey |
Randall Newton | Jon Peddie Research | U.S. |
John Obielodan | University of Wisconsin–Platteville | U.S. |
Charles Overy | LGM | U.S. |
Joris Peels | Voxelfab | Netherlands |
Michael Raphael | Direct Dimensions | U.S. |
Phil Reeves | Econolyst | England |
Alex Rekout | Moscow Business College #11 | Russia |
Stephen Rouse | Medical Applications of Additive Manufacturing | U.S. |
Jeff Rowe | Cairowest Group | U.S. |
Kevin Scanlan | Anubis Manufacturing Consultants Corp. | Canada |
Joel Segal | University of Nottingham | England |
Michael Siemer | Innovative Medical Device Solutions | U.S. |
Chris Spadaccini | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | U.S. |
Jürgen Stampfl | Vienna University of Technology | Austria |
Ian Stewart | Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker | U.S. |
Brent Stucker | University of Louisville | U.S. |
Jukka Tuomi | Aalto University | Finland |
Bart van de Vorst | TNO | Netherlands |
Juan Vargas | University of Texas at El Paso | U.S. |
Marius Vermeulen | Aerosud | South Africa |
Andreas Wegner | University of Duisburg–Essen | Germany |
Ryan Wicker | University of Texas at El Paso | U.S. |
David Wimpenny | Manufacturing Technology Centre | England |
Gerd Witt | University of Duisburg–Essen | Germany |