Analysis of the regional market competition pattern of the global 3D printing industry in 2020

Region: The United States ranks first in terms of industrial scale. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the supply chain was broken and the shortage of epidemic prevention materials affected the progress of epidemic prevention. The United States, Italy and other countries used 3D printers to produce ventilator accessories and personal protective masks. 3D Printing plays an important role in global epidemic prevention and control, and it reflects the increasing popularity of 3D printing technology and the expansion of application fields. Globally, the United States has advanced 3D printing technology, and the scale of 3D printing equipment is leading other countries. According to data from Wohlers Associates, 3D printer installations in the United States accounted for 34.4% of the world in 2019, about three times that of China.

The United States is the origin of the 3D printing industry and continues to lead the global 3D printing market. Calculating the scale of the global 3D printing industry and the proportion of 3D printing equipment shipments in various countries shows that the scale of the 3D printing industry in the United States in 2019 was US$4.082 billion. Globally, the scale of the 3D printing industry in the United States leads other countries.

Enterprise: Stratasys of the United States ranked first in terms of product shipments of 3D printing companies. In 2019, global industrial 3D printing companies sold more than 22,000 industrial 3D printing systems, an increase of 14.7% over 2018. In the global enterprise industrial-grade 3D printing equipment shipment list, the shipment of Stratasys of the United States occupies the top spot. In addition to Stratasys of the United States, 3D Systems of the United States ranked third.

Technology: FDM technology is most commonly usedThe scale growth of the 3D printing industry is closely related to 3D printing technology. According to data released by the well-known data company Statista on June 3, 2020, in 2020, the most commonly used 3D printing technology in the world is Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), and 67% of respondents use this technology indoors. Selective laser sintering (SLS) is the second most commonly used technology in 2020, with 51% of respondents adopting this technology through external services. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM, Fused Deposition Modeling) is a technology invented by Stratasys of the United States in the late 1980s. In 1992, Stratasys of the United States launched the world’s first 3D printer based on FDM technology—”3D Modeler” (3D Modeler)”, this also marks the commercialization of FDM technology.

Downstream: The automotive industry is the most widely used 3D printing downstream application field, according to the “Wohlers Report 2020” questionnaire, the industry that uses 3D printing the most is the automotive industry, which is far ahead, accounting for 16.4%. Consumer/electronics and aerospace followed closely with 15.4% and 14.7% respectively. As of the end of 2019, General Motors in the United States has 17 Stratasys FDM industrial-grade 3D printers, and has used 3D printing to speed up its production lines, reduce weight, and improve cost-efficiency. In August 2020, GE Additive developed a solution for metal 3D printing automotive applications. The adhesive jet metal 3D printing technology was applied on a factory scale, which will meet the manufacturing needs of the entire automotive industry.

3D printing is a high-tech industry, R&D investment and technological development play a key role in the expansion of the 3D printing industry. The United States, as a technological powerhouse, has 3D printing technology and 3D printing giants concentrated in the United States, and the scale of the U.S. industry continues to expand as a result. As China, which started 3D printing relatively late, in recent years, it has paid close attention to independent innovation and research and development. Although there is still a certain gap with the technology of the United States, it is gradually moving towards refinement and professional development, and China’s 3D printing industry is also developing continuously.