Wohlers Report 2024 Highlights the Growth of Metal Additive Manufacturing
It is once again that time of the year. Wohlers Associates, powered by ASTM International, has published their 29th annual report. The Wohlers Report 2024 has been compiled through surveys of the additive manufacturing industry, talking to 245 organizations including service providers, AM system manufacturers and third-party material producers. All in all, drawing upon 110 people from 35 countries. And this time, metal 3D printing is in the spotlight.
As you may know, this report aims to be a comprehensive overview of additive manufacturing over the past year. It covers everything from design and materials to processes and post-processing, finishing of course with predictions for the future of the market plus manufacturers.
In particular, in Wohlers Report 2024, an entire section is devoted to new materials and their qualifications, an area where we have seen significant growth in recent years as more and more users are choosing AM for end-use parts. Before moving to the importance of these in sectors like aerospace, defense, healthcare and energy. Finally, it extensively discusses how new industry standards as well as the development of AM machines and post-processing methods will drive the move to more robust solutions. Generally a positive sign for the industry, despite 2023 being a tumultuous one for many in the sector.
Terry Wohlers, head of advisory services and market intelligence at Wohlers Associates, explains, “Investors, government agencies, and organizations adopting AM are eager to know what will drive growth in the future. Significant expansion will come from a much wider range of applications and demand for end-use parts. For this to occur, systems will become faster, reducing the production cost per part. A reduction in material pricing, due largely to competitive pressures, will lower costs further.” And metal AM seems to be what many are betting on for the future.
Wohlers Report 2024 Shows the Growth of Metal 3D Printing
Though the polymer 3D printing continues to make up the majority of the market, it is undeniable that metal additive manufacturing is rapidly growing. This has also been shown in the Wohlers Report 2024. In a press release, the company notes that according to the gathered data, the metal 3D printing segment has increased by 24.4% in comparison to the year prior. Outpacing the general AM market, which the report shows grew by 11.1% to $20.035.
Wohlers Associates has been tracking the state of the metal 3D printing since 2002 (about 21 years). And as can be seen in the graph below, despite relative stagnation in the years been 2022 and 2012, since 2013 metal AM seemingly has taken off. This has been tracked by sales of solutions, in 2023, 3,793 were sold compared to 3,049 in 2022. Subsequently, this also shows the recovery of the market since it took a notable dip during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. To get more insights into the state of the market (including on polymer 3D printing), you can buy the report for yourself or your organization HERE.
A graph showing the sales of metal AM solutions over the years (photo credits: Wohlers Report 2024)
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