It’s Only Common Sense: Your Biggest Competitor Is Complacency
The Chemical Connection: Onshoring PCB Production—Daunting but Certainly Possible
3D Printing Industry Expected to Top $6.5 Billion in Revenue in 2016
June 22, 2016 | Semico ResearchEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
The 3D printing market got a shot in the arm this week as HP began taking orders for its long-awaited HP Jet Fusion 3D printer. HP claims its printer is faster than existing 3D printers and more cost-effective. Using a proprietary technology, the printer is targeted at industrial customers for mass production. The HP Jet Fusion currently only prints in nylon (but will accommodate other materials in the future), and involves post-processing of printed items, requiring another purchase in addition to the printer itself.
Media attention helps further accelerate the 3D printing industry's momentum. Despite being several decades old, this industry is still young in terms of potential. A new report from Semico Research, 3D Printing: The Next Industrial Revolution 2016 Update, forecasts that revenues for the industry--including printers, services, and materials--will eclipse $6.5 billion in 2016. That figure will almost triple by 2021.
"3D Printing has captured the imagination of many, with the possibility of starting a manufacturing revolution," says Adrienne Downey, Director of Technology Research. "New applications and materials are announced on a very frequent basis. 3D printing is being used in many more applications than most people realize. But the most exciting applications for 3D printing are the ones that haven't even been conceived of yet."
Key findings of the report include:
- The top two 3D printer players alone accounted for almost $1.4 billion dollars in revenue in 2015.
- As the installed base grows larger, materials will make up a larger and larger portion of the total market revenue reaching 38% by 2021.
- 3D printer unit volumes will surpass 3.5 million units by 2021.
- Regionally, Europe continues to be a strong market for 3D printing, while Asia-Pac is still relatively weak due to macroeconomic concerns.
In its recent report, 3D Printing: The Next Industrial Revolution 2016 Update (MA103-16), Semico Research provides 5-year revenue and unit forecasts for the total 3D printing market including printers, services, and materials. Readers will see which market segments are growing fastest and what the latest trends are in the 3D Printing market, the growing ecosystem, and technical innovations, as well as reviews of the top 3D printing companies.
About SemicoSemico is a semiconductor marketing & consulting research company located in Phoenix, Arizona. Semico was founded in 1994 by a group of semiconductor industry experts. We have improved the validity of semiconductor product forecasts via technology roadmaps in end-use markets. Semico offers custom consulting, portfolio packages, individual market research studies and premier industry conferences.
Share on:
Testimonial
"We’re proud to call I-Connect007 a trusted partner. Their innovative approach and industry insight made our podcast collaboration a success by connecting us with the right audience and delivering real results."
Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
SMTAI 2025 Review: Reflecting on a Pragmatic and Forward-looking Industry
10/27/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Leaving the show floor on the final afternoon of SMTA International last week in Rosemont, Illinois, it was clear that the show remains a grounded, technically driven event that delivers a solid program, good networking, and an easy space to commune with industry colleagues and meet with customers.
Come Together: Tom Marktscheffel Used Data to Build CFX and a Global Factory Standard
10/27/2025 | Sandy Gentry, Community MagazineWhen Tom Marktscheffel, director of product management software solutions at ASMPT, looks back on his nearly three decades in electronics manufacturing, one word stands out: data. “Data is the new gold,” he says. Without it, automation, artificial intelligence, and the factory of the future are impossible. With it, the industry can move from manual, error-prone processes to smart, connected systems that make real-time decisions.
Simplifying Software Integration for Every Factory
10/22/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineAs a leading provider of factory digitalization solutions for electronics manufacturers, Cogiscan is at the heart of the software integration process. Davina McDonnell, director of marketing and product management, discusses how Cogiscan ensures that customers are ready to integrate and what it looks for to ensure a quick and appropriate installation.
MES Software Tools Need Thoughtful Integration
10/21/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineThe Global Electronics Association recently published a survey report on the state of EMS production software. This project, led by Thiago Guimaraes, director of industry intelligence, connects the dots across the global electronics value chain to uncover practical insights that individual companies might not have seen on their own. In this interview, Thiago discusses the whys and hows of this report.
SEMICON West: The Path to a $1 Trillion Future
10/14/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007After more than 50 years in San Francisco, SEMICON West moved its 2025 show to Phoenix, which is significant because it highlights the importance of Arizona as a semiconductor and tech hub. Though the show will be back in San Francisco in 2026, the overwhelmingly warm welcome SEMI received from Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, and ASU President Michael Crowe—who has been responsible for ASU repeatedly achieving the U.S. News and World Reports most innovative university ranking—was remarked upon repeatedly. All indications are that SEMICON West may well be back in Phoenix after that 2026 season.