3D Printing Materials Market Report

To establish industry standards and quality benchmarks enhance product reliability and build trust among customers and stakeholders and ensuring that new materials are optimized for specific printing processes and that can effectively utilize to enhance the performance and, enabling more complex and diverse applications, various partnerships and collaborations between market players are ongoing to expand the market reach and distribution networks. For instance, in March 2024, HP announced a collaboration with Arkema to launch PA 12 S material, a polymer that offers a new standard in surface finish and reduced costs of HP’s Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printer. Company claiming that the material can reduce variable costs per part by up to 25% and significantly lower total cost of ownership, the material is said to offer a reusability ratio of 85%, thought to be the highest on the market versus other PA 12 materials, leading to the creation of more robust and versatile products that meet diverse industry needs, customer bases, and increased market penetration.

Moreover, rising demand for heat shields capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and pressure encountered during hypersonic flight, rocket launches that traditional manufacturing methods cannot achieve, due this market players are introducing materials with high melting point, thermal stability, oxidation resistance, and strength that must perform reliably under extreme conditions, enhancing the durability, efficiency, and performance of propulsion systems. For instance, in November 2023, 3D System announced to introduce new Niobium-alloy refractory material, C-103, useful in applications such as for rocket, hypersonic, and jet propulsion. It is resistant to heat decomposition, pressure, and chemical attacks having high service temperature between 1200°C and 1400°C, with an excellent resistance to high-frequency vibrations, along with vacuum technology uniquely suited for processing C-103 by ensuring a very low-oxygen environment,  helping in the  preserving  material’s properties of sensitiveness towards O2 exposure, contributing to the advancement of aerospace technologies and the development of next-generation propulsion systems, reducing launching costs and improving rapid prototyping and shorten development cycles performance. 

One of the major challenges in 3D printing market is the high cost of specialized materials, such as polymers, metals, and composites, which can be expensive for smaller businesses, as this economic barrier limits the broader application of 3D printing technologies and affecting the performance limitations. Additionally, all materials do not meet the required mechanical properties, as different 3d printing technologies are suited to specific materials, making it challenging to use a single material across various printers’ strength and durability, as many requires post-processing, adding to the cost and complexity of production and impacting market growth.

However, the industry faces regulatory and standardization issues, including absence of uniform standards and certifications in quality in sectors such as aerospace and healthcare, leads to complexity and cost addition, hinders market growth. Furthermore, disruption in supply chain also pose significant challenges as Instabilities in the availability of raw materials can impact production and pricing as well as waste and recycling concern further, requirement of specialized skills and conditions in the handling of the technical complexity and storing advanced materials can be a barrier to widespread adoption.

With the increasing innovations in material science led to the development of new and improved 3D printing materials with enhanced properties, such as greater strength, flexibility, and heat resistance, resulted in increasing demand in various industries such as medical device, polymer and more, due to which many market players are introducing new and advances in 3D printing materials with enhanced properties, such as greater strength, flexibility, and heat resistance providing faster processing capabilities. For instance, in October 2023, Henkel Loctite announced to introduce photopolymer resins for 3D Printing, named Loctite 3D PRO9274, IND3380, IND5714, MED9851,  made using resin, enabling fast printing of highly detailed parts, designed to seamlessly print on various types of DLP/LCD printers helping users to produce a broad range of products all at a cost-effective price point, combined with excellent compression set, good tear resistance and strength making this material ideal for use in industrial elastomeric, safe touch applications as well as medical  with excellent tensile and flexural physical properties such as stiffness combined with toughness and its transparent appearance ideal for an extensive resistant medical device applications, offering exceptional performance and versatility, that cater to the needs of the 3D printing community from rapid prototyping to end-part production, supporting diverse range of applications.

However, with the rise of e-commerce has significantly impacted the 3D printing powder material market, driving market growth, offering numerous benefits to both the market and consumers, due to which numerous market players are launching their products on e-commerce platform enabling suppliers to reach a global audience and expanding their market beyond regional boundaries. For instance, in January 2024, Sandvik announced to partner with KBM to increase selling and distribution of Osprey metal powders including Osprey 316L, MAR-60, 18Ni300, Ti-6Al-ELI Grade 23 and C18150 CuCrZr powders to large consumer base on e-commerce website, provide hassle-free access of broad consumer base, helping in increasing market visibility offerings, forecast demand, to meet market needs and opens up new opportunities for international sales.

North America market is dominating 3D printing material market, due to its advanced technological infrastructure and increased investments in research and development, supported by substantial government investments such as U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for manufacturing advanced 3 D printing materials commitment to advancing 3D printing capabilities and increasing adoption of 3D printing for extensive use in prototyping and manufacturing parts of aerospace, automotive and healthcare sectors. Further, leading companies such as Stratasys, 3D Systems and HP, headquartered in the U.S., resulting in market growth and increasing opportunities.  However, Europe region is a prominent market player in the 3D printing material, due to its strong industrial base and increased emphasis on technological innovation, German companies such as Siemens and BMW are utilizing 3D printing for producing complex components and prototypes, enhancing efficiency and performance. Countries such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom are at the forefront, with strong emphasis on automotive and aerospace industries leading applications.

The Asia Pacific region is rapidly growing due to strong manufacturing capabilities, industrialization, and increasing adoption of technologies advances. Countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea are the major contributors, in 3D printing material market with significant investments in research and development. China, being the major manufacturing hub, expanding 3D printing market for industrial applications and consumer products. Additionally, Japan’s commitment to technological innovation and manufacturing of 3D printing materials due to companies such Canon and Denso, which utilize 3D printing for prototyping and production as well as market players such as Winbo and Farsoon, of China are advancing high-performance 3D printing technology and expanding market growth. This supportive environment is fuelling rapid growth and technological advancements across the region.

Further, Latin America and Middle East & Africa are steady growing markets. Countries such as, Brazil and Mexico are increasing investments in 3D printing to boost manufacturing capabilities and innovations to enhance production growth and reduce costs, to support automotive industries providing rapid prototyping and manufacturing solutions that caters domestic and international market. While in MEA, the 3D printing material market is gradually growing, due to rising interest in technological advancements, leading to adoption for 3D printing material, particularly, in Dubai, presence of strong demand and investment in healthcare sector, leads to integrating of 3D printing and increasing focusing on development of technology and infrastructure setting.