COVID‑19’s Impact on Manufacturing: Insights from 10,000+ Global 3D Printers

COVID‑19 and the Unknown

Within four months of the first reported cases in Wuhan, the coronavirus has become a global pandemic, infecting millions and claiming more than 250,000 lives. The virus’s indirect effects—social distancing, lockdowns, and business closures—have reshaped daily life for billions worldwide.

These measures have disrupted both supply chains and consumer demand, driving steep economic contractions. In the United States, Q1 GDP fell 4.8 % and the unemployment rate surged to a record 14.7 %. China’s economy contracted 6.8 %, while Europe’s output dropped 3.8 %. Yet stock markets have rebounded, with the U.S. index up 30 % since March lows, underscoring investor confidence in a rapid return to normalcy.

Governments are now easing restrictions in a staggered, region‑specific manner—schools reopening, businesses resuming operations, and religious gatherings resuming. This patchwork approach will determine the pace at which manufacturing can recover.

Markforged’s Real‑Time Manufacturing Data

Markforged’s industrial 3D printing platform—combining robust metal and continuous‑carbon‑fiber systems with intuitive Eiger software—has enabled engineers to produce complex tooling, fixtures, and parts that reduce costs, shorten lead times, and cut supply‑chain dependencies. Our cloud‑native infrastructure powers over 10,000 printers worldwide, giving us unparalleled visibility into real‑time manufacturing activity.

By aggregating printer usage data, we can gauge how the pandemic influences production patterns across regions—an invaluable signal for businesses and policymakers.

Pandemic Trends Captured by Print Activity

Below are two charts illustrating global printer activity during the pandemic.

Activity fell sharply after March 12, just before the U.S. National Emergency declaration, reaching a low on March 24. From late March through April, a surge in additive manufacturing—particularly for personal protective equipment (PPE)—helped lift activity levels. Markforged’s face‑shield design, validated with local physicians and released on Eiger on April 1, has already seen over 4,400 units printed, exemplifying the sector’s rapid response.

The recent dip from late April into May appears linked to the decline of PPE demand, revealing the underlying industrial printing volume that remains constrained by ongoing lockdowns.

To gain finer granularity, we examined print activity in six major industrial nations (excluding China due to data limitations). Typical fluctuations range from 80 % to 120 % of the normalized average; deviations beyond this band are noteworthy.

Key observations:

1. Italy experienced the earliest and steepest decline. Printer activity peaked on February 23—the day Italy’s Lombardy region entered quarantine—then dropped to ~50 % of normal as a nationwide lockdown was imposed.
2. Japan saw little change; activity even rose slightly until recently. Despite an April 7 state‑of‑emergency declaration, Japan’s print volumes remained stable, likely due to the country’s effective containment measures and limited restrictions.
3. Western‑nations (U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany) entered a new phase of decline, with activity now 30‑40 % below recent peaks. The varied reopening plans across states and cities will dictate future recovery trajectories.

While many countries have flattened the infection curve, uncertainty remains about future dynamics. Markforged’s data stream will continue to illuminate how regional policies translate into manufacturing output.

Data note: Print activity is normalized by day‑of‑week using a typical early‑February baseline and smoothed with a one‑week moving average.

*Thank you to Corey Walsh, Software Engineer at Markforged, for his work on the data analysis and visualization for this blog post.