3D Printing Accelerates: Enterprise Growth, Market Boom, and High-Performance Applications

3D Printing Accelerates Enterprise Adoption with Rapid Prototyping

In 2015, Deloitte projected that the global 3D printer market would double, with nearly 220,000 units sold—valued at $1.6 billion. While consumer sales make up roughly 70 % of the volume, the real economic impact lies in the enterprise segment, which produces 95 % of the printed objects and accounts for 99 % of the value, says Deloitte’s Duncan Stewart, director of technology, media, and telecommunications research for Canada.

Read the full analysis on the Wall Street Journal.

IDTechEx Forecasts a $20 B 3D Printing Market by 2025

Dr. Jon Harrop, director at IDTechEx, attributes the projected jump from $1 billion in 2012 to $20 billion in 2025 to both incremental improvements in existing technologies—such as thermoplastic extrusion, SLA/DLP, and SLS—and the emergence of entirely new processes. “IDTechEx has been tracking the industry for years through events and interviews with key players,” Harrop explains.

For plastic printers, the trade‑off between speed and cost is the decisive factor driving market choice. Prices are falling while output rates rise across the spectrum from extrusion to jetting to SLS.

See more at Optics.org.

Autodesk Integrates Netfabb Technology into Fusion 360 and Spark 3D

Autodesk’s VP Samir Hanna announced the acquisition of Netfabb, a platform used by over 80,000 designers, manufacturers, and artists. “We’re excited to help users move beyond prototyping and into production‑grade parts at scale,” Hanna said. The Netfabb technology will be embedded in future releases of Fusion 360 and the Spark 3D printing platform, while existing users will receive continued support.

Techeye has incorporated this update on their website.

Bloodhound Supersonic Car Relies on 3,500+ 3D‑Printed Parts, Including a Custom Steering Wheel

The project’s 3,500 unique components—many too complex or costly to produce with conventional methods—were created using additive manufacturing. The steering wheel, in particular, was engineered to match the exact hand contours of driver Andy Green, who is set to attempt the world record in the supersonic vehicle.

3ders.org is following this fast‑moving story.

HP Signals Interest in Acquiring a 3D Printing Company to Broaden Its Technology Portfolio

Jefferies analyst Jason North reports that HP is open to acquisitions and partnerships in the 3D printing space, recognizing that it will eventually need four distinct technologies. HP’s focus on the mid‑to‑high‑end market means that any deal would likely accelerate its market entry by one to two years, pending significant reseller and customer education.

Thanks to ZDNet for the original coverage.