3D printing, once more of a novelty used to create small, 3D objects like toys, has now made its way into a number of sectors. In medicine, 3D printing is being used in fetal imaging and prosthetics. In architecture, 3D printing has allowed for both better visualization and extremely affordable home building. In science, marine biologists have used 3D printing to repair destroyed coral reefs. It’s clear that 3D printing has applications that extend far beyond anything that we could even imagine, and the potential impact is enormous.
3D printing has also come a long way when it comes to materials. No longer limited to the basics like plastic or paper, 3D printers are now capable of handling anything from nylon to stainless steel. With more material options comes greater opportunity, which would explain the market’s impressive growth rate. The global 3D printing materials market, which was valued at $2 billion in 2015, its projected to reach $6.2 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of over 25%.
Key vendors in the global 3D printing materials market
Arcam
Arcam provides a cost-efficient Additive Manufacturing solution for production of metal components. The technology offers freedom in design combined with excellent material properties and high productivity. Arcam’s market is global with customers mainly in the orthopedic implant and aerospace industries. The company was founded in 1997 and is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm, Sweden.
EOS
EOS enables its customers to produce high quality products based on industrial 3D printing technologies. EOS is the global technology and quality leader for high-end solutions in the field of additive manufacturing (AM). Founded In 1989, EOS is a pioneer and world leader in the field of Direct Metal Laser sintering (DMLS) and provider of a leading polymer technology.
Höganäs
Höganäs was established in 1797 as a coal mining company. The company, owned by FAM and Lindengruppen, now has 2,500 customers in 75 countries, and approximately 700 granted patents. Its primary products include brazing filler metals, inductors and powder cores, powders for sintered components, and thermal surfacing powders.
Sandvik
Sandvik Coromant is a Swedish company that supplies cutting tools and services to the metal cutting industry. Sandvik Coromant is headquartered in Sandviken, Sweden and is represented in more than 130 countries with some 8,000 employees worldwide. It is part of the business area of Sandvik Machining Solutions, which is within the global industrial group Sandvik.
Solvay
Created in 1863, Solvay is a global company driven by proud and committed chemists. With its historical anchorage in Europe, Solvay’s products serve diversified markets worldwide, from consumer goods to energy, with one main aim – to improve quality of life and customer performance.
Other prominent vendors
Concept Laser
Concept Laser is the global leader in the design and manufacture of powderbed-based laser metal additive manufacturing systems. Our global client base includes customers in the aerospace, commercial and military aviation, national laboratories, defense, automotive, medical, dental and jewelry segments. Concept Laser pioneered the earliest fully-dense metal manufacturing processes in the 1990s.
ExOne
ExOne, a publicly traded manufacturing technology company, provides 3D printing machines, 3D printed products and related services to industrial customers in multiple segments, including pumps, automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment and energy. The ExOne® process, which utilizes Binder Jetting technology with industrial materials, gives traditional manufacturers an opportunity to reduce costs, lower the risk of trial and error and create opportunities for design innovation.
Renishaw
Renishaw is one of the world’s leading engineering and scientific technology companies, with expertise in precision measurement and healthcare. The company supplies products and services used in applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbine manufacture, through to dentistry and brain surgery. It is also a world leader in the field of additive manufacturing (also referred to as metal 3D printing), where it is the only UK business that designs and makes industrial machines which ‘print’ parts from metal powder.
