PUBLISHER: Information Network | PRODUCT CODE: 1266863
PUBLISHER: Information Network | PRODUCT CODE: 1266863
3D printing industry remains highly fragmented across different printers, materials, and software. This fragmentation in the 3D industry will be a catalyst for growth, as no single company controls the majority of the market, according to The Information Network's report The Information Network.
There are nearly 200 printer suppliers described in the report with products on the market, and an average of 1.4 different printers per supplier. This does not count home-made 3D printers that can be built in one day for less than $200.
Of the 250 printers described in the report, 200 are fused filament fabrication (FFF) printers, also called fused deposition modeling (FDM), a term penned by Stratasys. Ranging in price from $250 to $10,000, items are produced by extruding small strands of thermoplastic material to form layers as the material hardens immediately after extrusion from the nozzle.
The large market for FFF printers has cultivated another business that is further fragmenting the 3D printing market - materials. Materials represented 19.4% of the 3D printing industry in 2013, which in our analysis includes materials, printers, service bureaus, and spare parts. In the report, we note that materials will be the fastest growing sector of the industry, representing a 22.1% share in 2020.
In the report we identify 225 suppliers of the two common thermoplastic filaments for FFF printers - PLA (Polylactic Acid) and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). The growing numbers of third-party material suppliers if causing additional fragmentation of the 3D printing industry. 3D printer manufacturers such as Stratasys and 3D Systems have tried unsuccessfully to limit third-party suppliers, since they encroach on their own materials sold "with specificity" for their own 3D printers.