In 2019 worldwide spending on 3D printing technologies is set to increase year-on-year by 21.2% to a total of $13.8 billion. This is the conclusion of a current study by the market research company IDC . By 2022, the annual increase will be 19.1% according to the experts – in parallel, annual turnover will grow to about $22.8 billion. The largest demand for 3D printing technology comes from discrete manufacturing (53%). In second place, some distance behind, is the health sector (13.1%).

Industry uses 3D printers in particular for cost-effective production of prototypes and spare parts and for manufacturing individual components of new products. Regarding total annual expenditure, the forecasts suggest that the USA will lead the way in 2019 with a total of $5 billion, followed by western Europe ($3.6 billion) and China (just under $2 billion). The forecasts seem entirely plausible in the light of surveys of last year: an analysis by SmartTech Publishing identifies a global market growth of 18% in the field of 3D printing in 2018.