3D Printers

Businesses related to 3D printers

I  Current Status and Future Outlook of 3D Printer Market

1. Current Status and Future Outlook of 3D Printer Market

• It is necessary to organize contents and data marketplace for growth of BtoC.
• Quality-machine manufacturers should pursue performance efficiency and expert knowledge in customer support.
• The market is expected to attain 20,000 printers or 24,000 million yen by FY2016. The market is driven by SOHO/Consumer use and educational use.
• 3D Systems have developed products omni-directionally.
• Shaping/Molding/Fabrication service companies have come to enhance their specialty by narrowing down what to print using the printer.
• Shaping/Molding/Fabrication service companies have advantages in that they are close to users.
• 85% of the market is consisted of demands for individual consumers.
• High-end 3D printers have come to reduce the price.
• The processing can be largely classified into addition, omission, and modification.
• Users (especially heavy users) have to bear high-burden of material costs.

2. Market Trends by Product Type

• 3D printers have come to develop into various product types
• Rapid growth is seen for 3D printers with fused deposition modeling (FDM) used for SOHO/consumer/educational use.
• FDM type occupies close to 90% (8,900 printers) of the market share in FY2013.
• The market has exploded due to spreading of low-price products.
• Rapid prototyping has a history of three-dimensional molding devices so that it has advantages in detailed reproducing and in accuracy of dimension.
• Powder fabrication method can choose diversified materials from　resin, sand, or metal powder according to use.
• 3D printers have become more and more diverse, with small size to large ones that need construction works.
• The price of 3D printers matches with accuracy of dimension.  However, molding time does not seem to correspond to product price.
• Products have advantages and disadvantages according to the type.  Users need to discern the product type they need.　
• Photocurable resin is consisted of base resin, reactive diluents, photoinitiator, additive agent, etc.

3. Trends in 3D Printer Market by Demand

• The work is inefficient if done individually. Organized work is more efficient. In order to develop the business of 3D fabrication efficiently, companies need to choose their most appropriate partners matching their respective characteristics.
• 60% of the market demands seem to be occupied by SOHO/consumer use in 2013.
• Educational use is what each manufacturer is focusing on as a good target.
• There are extensive demands from industrial/study use to SOHO/consumer use.
• New application and usage can be created by users' imagination and ideas.
• 3D printers can be used for product development as a whole, from product designing to maintenance.
• It enables practical simulation that makes users to grasp the situation.
• 3D printers are used to create real products or final products with more and more complicated shapes, customized moldings, with special structures, and etc.
• There are challenges in stabilization, productivity, accuracy.
• Extensive use is considered in medical areas such as operation, restoration of damaged parts, organ phantom, and dental mould.
• Consumer-targeted 3D printer showroom "CUBE" opened in Shibuya.

II   Trends and Outlook of Market Players

12 enterprises