Additive manufacturing—a niche, but rapidly growing industry

Additive manufacturing (AM) technology, more commonly known as 3D printing, has grown at a CAGR of 20% between 2016 and 2022 and will continue to grow as its applications across industries expand, innovative raw materials become available, and countries seek to protect themselves from supply chain disruptions.

What you will learn:

• Our analysis of Comtrade data reveals that global AM trade largely involves three major countries—the US, China, and Germany that together were responsible for 69% of the $2.1 billion global trade in AM machines in 2022. This reflects the fact that these three countries also hold the top three positions for AM adoption globally.
• The health, aerospace, and automotive industries have driven AM adoption over the past decade, but use cases are increasingly emerging in other markets such as construction, consumer products, and food production, which will help to drive future growth in AM production.
• The strong upward trend in international AM-related patent registrations, which has grown at a CAGR of 26% between 2013 and 2020, alongside double-digit investment growth point to strong AM production and trade ahead. There are however several challenges, such as high production costs and slow manufacturing processes, that are weighing on speedy adoption.