Wohlers Report 2013 Reveals Continued Growth in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing

Growth of low-cost "personal" 3D printers cools signficantly

FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, USA, May 23, 2013—Wohlers Associates, Inc. today announced the release of the Wohlers Report 2013, the company’s annual in-depth analysis of additive manufacturing and 3D printing worldwide.

Wohlers Report 2013 covers all aspects of 3D printing, 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.

Wohlers Report 2013 provides an in-depth look at market forces, competitive products and services, and industry growth. The market for 3D printing in 2012, consisting of all products and services worldwide, grew 28.6% (CAGR) to $2.204 billion. This is up from $1.714 billion in 2011, when it grew 29.4%. Growth was 24.1% in 2010. The average annual growth (CAGR) of the industry over the past 25 years is an impressive 25.4%. The CAGR is 27.4% over the past three years (2010–2012).

Growth of the low-cost (under $5,000) “personal” 3D printer market segment averaged 346% each year from 2008 through 2011. In 2012, the increase cooled significantly to an estimated 46.3%, according to research by Wohlers Associates. Most of these machines are being sold to hobbyists, do-it-yourselfers, engineering students, and educational institutions.

The 3D printing industry is expected to continue strong double-digit growth over the next several years. By 2017, Wohlers Associates believes that the sale of 3D-printing products and services will approach $6 billion worldwide. By 2021, Wohlers Associates forecasts the industry to reach $10.8 billion. It took the 3D printing industry 20 years to reach $1 billion in size. In five additional years, the industry generated its second $1 billion. It is expected to double again, to $4 billion, in 2015.

About Wohlers Associates: Wohlers Associates is an independent consulting firm that provides technical, marketing, and strategic advice on the new developments and trends in additive manufacturing and 3D printing. (The company uses the terms interchangeably.) For more information, visit http://wohlersassociates.com.

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