3D Printing Trends Update

By on September 10, 2017
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Based on real data from the 3D Hubs platform, the report details 3D printing trends in 4 interesting categories:

  1. The highest rated industrial and desktop 3D printed based on customer reviews
  2. The most widely used technologies and materials.
  3. The popularity of manufacturers and printer models, internationally and on a regional level
  4. The top cities and countries doing the most 3D printing

1. The Projet 3500 HDMax is the highest rated industrial 3D printer. SLS technology dominates the “Highest Rated Industrial Printers” list, making up 50%, in part thanks to the success of EOS being the most prolific manufacturer with 4 printer models listed.
Between desktop printers the Original Prusa i3 MK2 continues to rank #1, and the Zortrax M200 moves up from #7 to #2.

About the “Most Used Industrial Printers” the 3D Systems Vanguard was a workhorse last quarter creating 3,847 prints. The Formiga came a close second with 3,406 prints and the Projet 3000 HD in 3rd.
The desktop 3D Printer that created the most prints last quarter is the Form 2 with a staggering 17,292 prints. The only SLA/DLP printer in the top 10 list takes #1.  Ultimaker’s presence is strong, taking #4 with the Ultimaker 2,
#5 with the Ultimaker 2+ and the Ultimaker 3 takes #8.

2. The most popular technology is FDM making up 63.9% of total revenue on the platform. SLA + DLP arrives in #2 with 18.1%. SLS technology finishes out the top three, with 11.1%. Both SLA+DLP and SLS continue to gain traction thanks to professionals using the two technologies to iterate, during various stages of their protoyping cycle.

PLA and ABS dominate the top two of “Most Used Materials”, with PLA used twice as often when compared to second place ABS. This diference is likely caused by the ease of printing with PLA, with the lower printing temperatures and less strict ventilation requirements.

3. The Popular Printers by Region gives an idea of the global breakdown of market share from manufacturer to manufacturer.  The Original Prusa i3 MK2 features in 6 of the 7 top 5’s, with South America being the only region not to feature the machine. Ultimaker 2 holds onto it’s #1 position in Europe with a 6.5% market share. The Zortrax M200 proves popular in Africa and Central America at #1, two new regions featured.

4. The Top Print City for Q3, based on the number of prints ordered is New York with 2.82% of the total. London is incredibly close with 2.79% and Amsterdam ranks #3. The West Coast of the U.S is well presented in particular California with Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose all in the top 10 cities. The most likely due to the large amount of hardware companies big and small located in San Francisco Bay Area which includes Silicon Valley.

 

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