According to the 2021 Wohlers Report, a 375-page report covering the 3D printing market, the additive manufacturing (AM) industry expanded by 7.5% to nearly US$12.8 billion in 2020, despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, this growth was down considerably, compared to average growth of 27.4% over the previous 10 years, the report said.
While most established manufacturers of AM systems saw a decline in equipment sales, many less-established companies grew in 2020. An increase in business by AM service providers also supported industrywide growth. There was 7.1% growth from independent service providers worldwide, resulting in nearly US$5.3 billion of revenue from this group, Wohlers report. The Wohlers Report covers trends, perspectives, and forecasts about AM and in the 2021 edition also covers 3D printing of food, medicine, and electronics, the pricing of metals and polymers and the hidden costs of AM, methods of AM part inspection, and the pandemic's impact on the AM industry.
This story uses material from Wohlers, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
