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Research Outline

Prepared for Ian W. | Delivered December 16, 2019

Consumer 3D Printer Market, North America

Goals

Gain an understanding of the market size for consumer 3D printers in North America, as well as who is operating in the sub $300 3D printer market in order to provide data for investor pitches, show that a market exists and that a product stands out against competition


Early Findings

  • The consumer 3D printing market has an estimated value of $1.7 billion globally. However, this figure was not broken down by region or country.
  • The total 3D printing manufacturing revenue in the US in 2018 was $4 billion, including consumer and commercial applications.
  • The consumer 3D print market launched in 2009 in the US, when certain 3D print patents expired, and home 3D printers were allowed to be introduced. The first was the RepRap3. 
  • Examples of 3D printers that are under $300 include Monoprice Select Mini 3D Printer, Alunar 3D Desktop Printer, Printrbot Play, and FlashForge Finder.
  • The annual growth in the consumer 3D print industry is projected to be over 10% for the next several years.
  • In the overall 3D printing space, industry growth is projected at 22.5% 
  • Some reasons for growth in the consumer 3D printing space include lower costs the device and "the ability of the device to print a product with complex design with ease".
  • The top end uses for consumer 3D printing are proof of concept and prototyping during personal product development phases.
  • The majority of revenue from consumer 3D printing comes from small and medium scale jewelry hobbyists.
  •  Key companies in the consumer 3D printing space were Stratasys, Sulpteo, Sumco Corp, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd, Hitachi Metals Ltd, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation.