3D Printing in India: An Overview

Some of the 3D printing vendors covered by I3DPn [Source: I3DPn]

While attending TCT 2019 I had the opportunity to meet many interesting folks in the 3D printing industry.

One of them was Aditya Chandavarkar, who happens to be the co-founder of the Indian 3D Printing Network, (or “I3DPn”), a neutral organization with the goal of providing knowledge sharing on the topic to the public and industry.

I3DPn operates a major trade show in India focused on 3D printing, as well as providing online information, market research, training and consulting. They don’t seem to sell products or materials, however.

This positions them in a way to provide good information. They explain:

“The aim of I3DPn is to engage with the AM community on a constant basis and create different modules to catalyse the growth of AM in India. I3DPn has a unique value proposition of providing a unbiased and objectify view on the Indian AM industry.”

India Additive Manufacturing Market

Honestly, I don’t know much about the 3D printing scene in India, but it seems to be flourishing. According to I3DPn the value of the market today in India is a whopping US$600M, and growing strongly.

I’m not surprised, as India is the second-most populous country in the world, and is undergoing large growth in industry. However, in I3DPn’s “India AM Report”, Chandavarkar explains:

“India is today only touching the tip of the Iceberg in adoption of this technology, however with the ingenuity of Indian industry and existing/upcoming government policies an exponential growth in this space is just around the corner.”

This phenomenon occurs in the West as well: many companies simply haven’t figured out 3D printing technology yet. They may have heard about it, but don’t yet understand how to apply it in practical ways to their business. This, I think, is what I3DPn is attempting to do: educate the country of India on 3D printing.

The 2019 edition of their annual “India AM Report” is quite comprehensive and is composed of 75 pages of details from 26 different contributors, including industry expert Terry Wohlers.

I3DPn’s trade show seems to be expanding significantly as well, with over 5,000 attendees expected for the 2019 event, which takes place in Mumbai in December.

I3DPN Coverage

At top you’ll see some of the companies they cover, and on the left are a list of the international companies operating in India. There I see the usual suspects; the larger companies who have spent considerable effort to make landfall in India over the course of years.

But on the right side of the image are the regional vendors being covered. I can’t say that I’ve heard directly from any of them, except for Wipro 3D: Wipro is a huge international organization that has many subsiduaries, and it’s not surprising to see they have one operating in the 3D space.

Regional 3D Printing Companies

The presence of regional companies follows the usual pattern: each region generates a number of 3D printing companies of its own due to the necessity of function and challenges in acquiring equipment, materials and services from more distant locations.

These companies tend to compete with each other until a few become dominant. At that point they attempt to market outside their region, which is typically very challenging. Few succeed, but those that do become truly international companies and might move on the the left side of the image above.

If you’re at all interested in the Indian 3D printing scene, by all means check out I3DPn’s offerings.

Via I3DPn