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Opportunities for New Materials in 3D Printing Market

3D printing (additive manufacturing) is an advanced manufacturing technology that builds (objects) layer by layer, enabling complex structures, rapid prototyping, and customization. It has been applied in industries such as aerospace, automotive manufacturing, and medical.

The global 3D printing market reached 20 billion USD in 2023 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19–24% over the next 5–10 years. The Chinese market is also experiencing strong growth, with an estimated market size of 50 billion CNY in 2024, projected to exceed 100 billion CNY by 2027.

With advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), decline in 3D printing costs, and growing demand from downstream markets for lightweight, complex component manufacturing, rapid technological iterations, and customization, 3D printing is gradually shifting from prototyping to end-use parts production and expanding into new application scenarios.

This article will briefly introduce the 3D printing market and the opportunities for materials, focusing on 5 aspects: market size, value chain, printing materials & technologies, market growth drivers and key players.

Table of content

1. Market Size of 3D Printing Market
2. Value Chain
3. Printing Materials and Printer used in 3D Printing
4. Market Growth Drivers for 3D Printing
5. Key Players
6. Reference

1. Market Size of 3D Printing Market

Global 3D printing market

The global market size of 3D printing reached ~20 billion USD in 2023 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19~24% in the next 5~10 years.

China’s 3D printing market

China’s 3D printing market is expected to exceed 50 billion CNY in 2024, representing a year-on-year growth of 25%. It is projected to reach a market size of over 100 billion CNY by 2027.

2. Value Chain

3. Printing Materials and Printer used in 3D Printing

Printing materials

Materials used in 3D printing can be categorized into 2 major parts: metal and non-metal. The non-metal materials include polymers, composites, ceramic, sand etc.

3D printer

  • By technology
    According to ISO/ASTM 52900:2021, 3D printing encompasses 7 major process categories, further subdivisions are made based on specific technical characteristics.

  • By application
    To meet the needs of different applications, such as product size, accuracy, 3D printers can be categorized into desktop and industrial printers.

4. Market Growth Drivers for 3D Printing

3D printing market is driven by multiple factors, including:

  • 3D printing costs reduction attributed to:
    • Price reduction of printing materials
      • Price of Titanium alloy powder for 3D printing has dropped from 600 CNY/kg in 2023 to <300 CNY/kg in 2024, a decrease of 50%, owing to improved powder yield, declined raw material prices, and recycling of argon gas in production
    • Advancements in 3D printers and technology have enhanced production efficiency, quality, and reliability.
  • Growing demand from downstream applications for:
    • Lightweight
    • Manufacturing components with complex structure
    • Shortening R&D cycles to keep up with rapid technological iterations
    • Personalization and customization
    • Rapid small-scale mass production
  • AI-powered 3D printing enhances efficiency, precision, and user experience
    • Model search & generation: AI leverages big data to match, modify, or generate 3D models, streamlining personalized printing.
    • Slicing: printers will autonomously handle slicing without extra software
    • Process optimization: Intelligent material recognition enables automatic calibration of temperature, flow rate, and other parameters.
    • Defect detection: equipped with optical or LiDAR sensors, AI will monitor printing in real time, adjusting or issuing alerts to ensure successful prints

Based on these drivers, 3D printing is gradually shifting from prototyping to end-use parts production and has also found new opportunities in emerging fields.

 The shift from prototyping to end-use parts production is expected to increase the penetration rate of 3D printing in specific fields

  • Aerospace
    • GE Aviation has produced over 100,000 3D printed fuel nozzles for jet engines.
    • In April 2024, Norsk Titanium, a global leader in additive manufacturing for aerospace-grade structural Titanium components, signed a long-term Master Supply Agreement to support Airbus A350 production. This agreement builds on the successful qualification of its RPD® technology with Airbus and delivery of serial production parts in 2023.
    • Chinese 3D printer manufacturers, such as BLT, Farsoon Technologies, have developed new equipment and systems to enable the serial production of components for aerospace.
  • Automotive
    • Automotive parts: mass adoption of 3D printing is primarily concentrated in high-end vehicles, such as Cadillac CELESTIQ (115 metal and polymer 3D printed parts), BMW Individual M850i xDrive Coupe Night Sky (exteriors, brake caliper), BMW i8 Roadster (Metal convertible soft top bracket, window guide rail)
    • Automotive tooling: refers to aid tools used for car manufacturing, e.g., jigs and fixtures. These tools are complex in structure and need frequent updates. 3D printing enables OEM to produce tools quickly, cost-effectively, and with greater flexibility. By optimizing and developing tools, it helps increase production line speed, shorten production cycles, and reduce costs.
  • Medical
    • Based on the situation that human bodies have individual differences while traditional medical devices are mostly standard styles or sizes, 3D printing, due to its ability for personalized customization, has been gradually used in the medical industry, e.g., medical molds, surgical/oral implants, human tissues and organs.

3D printing accelerates rapid R&D iteration, fosters innovation, and empowers traditional industries with new technologies

  • Humanoid robot
    • Humanoid robots undergo rapid R&D iteration, and 3D printing’s rapid prototyping capabilities allow researchers to adjust and optimize designs in real time, shortening the R&D cycle.
    • 3D printing can also meet the needs of humanoid robots for lightweight design and complex structural manufacturing.
  • Low-altitude economy
    • 3D printing holds immense potential for improving the lightweight design and mechanical performance of drones. By optimizing design and material selection, it can enhance performance while reducing production costs
    • Some applications for 3D printing in drones: wings, outer cover, framework, gearbox housing, fuselage structure, battery pack structure, upper cover, bracket, coupling, surface circuit
    • Main materials in use: metal (Aluminum alloy, Titanium alloy, etc.), polymers and composites (PPS-GF, PPS-CF, PP-CF, PA6-CF, PP-GF, PP-CF, TPU), sand
  • Consumer electronics
    • Honor and OPPO have introduced Titanium Alloy 3D-printed hinge technology into foldable phones to meet the demand for lighter and thinner devices
      • Titanium Alloy meets the requirement for lightweight and high strength
      • 3D printing enables the creation of complex structures, optimizing the mechanical performance of hinges, reducing the number of components, and lowering assembly complexity
    • 3D Printing Farm
      • A 3D printing farm is a production network integrating numerous 3D printers, enabling efficient and scalable manufacturing. Most farms focus on printing consumer products, such as toys.
      • Before 2023, China had just over 9,000 3D printing farm devices. In 2 years, the number of farms and printers have surged, especially in toy hubs like Yiwu and Shantou. Now, there are over 2,000 farms nationwide with 100,000+ printers.
      • The rise of 3D printing farms is fueled by a wider range of filament options, along with rapid advances in desktop 3D printers, for example, printing speeds are now 5–10 times faster, with greatly improved stability and precision.
      • Main material in use: PLA, PETG, ABS, etc.

5. Key Players

3D printer manufacturers

Material suppliers

6. Reference

  • In-depth report on the 3D printing industry: Gaining momentum, empowering the future through industrial applications, Huafu Securities
  • 3D Printing: Leading a new era of advanced manufacturing, TF Securities
  • “2025 Low-altitude economy industry: First list of outstanding 3D printing suppliers”, UAV and Unmanned Systems Professional Committee of the China Staff Technical Association, Shanghai Additive Manufacturing Association, ICPC International Industrial Technology Project Cooperation Promotion Center
  • A new trend of returning to hometowns to start businesses: These “new farmers” are changing the toy industry with 3D printing “Farms”, 3D Printing Resource Library
  • The future of 3D printing: A glimpse into AI-Powered desktop 3D printers, OFweek
  • AMReference
  • Nanjixiong
  • 3D Science Valley
  • VoxelMatters
  • The 5 Metal powder producers leading in 3D printing, BCC Research
  • Additive manufacturing market size, share & trends analysis report, Grand View Research
  • 3D Printing market size, share & industry analysis, Fortune Business Insights
  • Additive manufacturing market report 2025, Research and Markets
  • 3D Printing market size & share analysis, Mordor Intelligence
  • Additive manufacturing and material market trends – growth & forecast 2025 to 2035, Future Market Insights
  • 3D Printing market size expected to reach USD 117.78 Bn by 2033, Precedence Research
  • Additive manufacturing market size, share and growth forecast for 2025-2032, Persistence Market Research
  • 3D printing trend report 2024, Protolabs
  • 3D Printing market size worth USD 99.72 Billion in 2030, Emergen Research