Market insights firmCONTEXThas published a report indicating that the COVID-19 lockdown-driven sales boom seen in consumer-centric 3D printers could be over.
In its Q1 2022 report, CONTEXT found that while shipments of the low-cost systems it calls ‘personal and kit & hobby printers’ were up on pre-pandemic levels, they were down 25% and 47% on Q1 2021. By contrast, the company says shipments of the highest-end 3D printers were “on the rise and accelerating” in the quarter, reflecting a “total reversal” of the trends seen during 2020’s COVID-19 lockdowns.
Reversing COVID-19 lockdown trends
As CONTEXT reported in 2020, the pandemic triggered a台式机3D打印货物中的繁荣, which soared by 24% between Q1 and Q2 2020 alone. One possible explanation for the variance was the在第一个雷电竞app下载Covid-19期间使用此类别中的3D打印机lockdown for many Western countries, a period in which designers and makers sought to contribute their skills and expertise in the fight against the impact of the disease.
尽管上下文的最新分析并未直接引用PPE，但该技术已广泛用于解决设备短缺，尤其是在大流行的早期阶段。对于制造商，PrintParts and PostProcess 3D printed testing swabsto meet US demand, whilePhotocentric 3D printed PPE for the NHS, as part of a multi-million part contract.
但是，这项工作不仅是由制造商带头的，而且工程师也开发了3D printed masks, swabs, ventilator parts and other PPEover the last two years. Such equipment has been produced so widely that theFDAhas even issuedupdated medical 3D printing guidance, to ensure they remain clinically-compliant, and it’s in this environment that desktop 3D printing thrived.
As the situation around COVID-19 PPE has stabilized, the demand for 3D printed alternatives has also dipped, and this trend is reflected in CONTEXT’s Q1 2022 report. In its analysis, the firm says that shipments of low-end machines, those it categorizes as being sub-$2,500 or self-assembled, were “significantly down” on Q1 2021, but it adds that this decline wasn’t apparent in all applications.
The education market, in particular, continues to benefit from strong government support, with the likes ofZortraxandMakerbot最近gaining from such initiatives. Although the report makes it clear that these installations haven’t impacted sales just yet, it suggests that such subsidies and programs could “offer a shot in the arm,” and “give hope to a market struggling to find a new accelerant.”
对高端3D打印机的需求增加雷电竞app下载
On the flipside, while CONTEXT’s report identifies a decline in demand for low-end 3D printers, it shows that shipments of “almost all types” of industrial systems worth $100,000 or more grew in Q1 2022. In this category, binder jet machines enjoyed the most growth, with shipments rising 113% over Q1 2021. The firm calculates that the technology only represents 8% of the metal 3D printing market, but suggests that the likes ofGEand生命值借助其金属喷射过程，将来可能会改变这一点。
When it comes to volume, the report identifiesUnionTechas the leader in the highest-end industrial segment, although it did experience a 6% dip in shipments between Q1 2021 and 2022. This decline, according to CONTEXT, was caused in part by China’s ‘Zero Covid’ policy, which has seen many major cities locked down, and it says the country’s growth is now “likely to be further stymied in Q2 2022.”
同时，在$ 2,500- $ 20,000的专业打印机类别中，该公司的报告表明Ultimakerandformlabssystems accounted for 55% of all those shipped in Q1 2022. CONTEXT found thatRaise3DandSprintrayexperienced better growth in this area during the period, but its report also emphasizes the significance of “market leaders” in the division’s performance, withUltimakerand MakerBot’s merger现在预计将是“扩展其投资组合”。
最后，就设计师3D打印机而言，将上下文归类为售价为20,0雷电竞app下载00美元至100,000美元的售价，它发现该细分市场中排名前十的货物中的每家公司中的每家公司都在第1季度至第二季度2022年之间增长了增长。3D Systemssaw its MultiJet Printing shipments rise 53% over this period, whileStratasysshipped 44% more PolyJet machines. Interestingly, the report highlights existing product lines as being the primary driver of the 19% growth achieved in the segment during Q1 2022, although sales generated via acquisitions were also credited with playing a part.
Moving forwards, CONTEXT expects industries such as aerospace and dentistry to remain key to the growth of industrial system manufacturers, with their shipments projected to rise 24% in FY 2022. In the longer-term, the firm’s report adds that 3D printing’s continued incursions into volume production, as well as its viability as an in-sourcing tool, could drive it to a 5-year compound annual growth rate of 28%.
克里斯·康纳利（Chris Connery）, Head of Global Analysis at CONTEXT, concludes that “in spite of headwinds from factors including global inflation, a slowdown in China’s economy related to current COVID mitigation efforts, looming fears of regional recessions, and the ongoing Russian incursion into Ukraine, manufacturers of industrial 3D printers remain bullish in their collective outlook for 2022.”
映射3D打印的轨迹
当然，环境并不是唯一专门从事市场见解的公司，而且其他许多人也发布了报告，预测3D打印是为了实现显着增长的。Wohlers Associates, which wasbought by ASTM International去年，在它的2022年3D打印报告状态该行业从大流行中反弹，并在2021年增长了19.5％。
Ampower的最新3D打印报告, on the other hand, has projected that the 3D printing market will grow at a yearly rate of 18.2% over the next four years. This expansion, the firm anticipates, will be driven in large part by metal 3D printing, which it tips to grow at a rate of more than 25% until 2026, compared to the 14.4% growth rate expected of polymer technologies.
不时地，更广泛的国际组织还对添加剂制造作为先进技术的发展方向发表了意见。雷电竞充值例如，在2022年2月，世界经济论坛声称3D打印可以实现重大飞跃在不久的将来，只有它可以克服其采用障碍。
要了解最新的3D印刷新闻，请不要忘记订阅3D Printing Industry newsletteror follow us on推特or liking our page onFacebook.
For a deeper dive into additive manufacturing, you can now subscribe to ourYouTube频道，包括讨论，汇报和3D打印进程的镜头。
Are you looking for a job in the additive manufacturing industry? Visit3D Printing Jobsfor a selection of roles in the industry.
Featured image shows a desktop 3D printer farm at UTEP’s Keck Center. Photo via UTEP/Keck.
