Well, it just happens to be the first day of the year. What might happen in the next 364 days?
I thought about the myriad of moving parts in the 3D print industry and came up with the following ups and downs — things that might increase and others that will decrease.
What would you prefer first, the Ups or the Downs? Let’s start with the Downs.
Desktop 3D Printer Manufacturers
The desktop 3D printer industry has reached a tipping point where the scale of the established manufacturers now allows them to outrun smaller competitors. In the past, there were literally over 100 companies producing inexpensive desktop machines. Now it’s not really feasible to launch a new company to do the same, as it would cost far too much to catch up to the leaders. Can you match Bambu Lab’s price and performance from your garage lab?
As a result, there will be many small producers that disappear in 2025, and they’ve started to fade away already in 2024.
Slow Speed 3D Printers
At the beginning of 2024, the notion of a high-speed 3D printer was a novelty, something you might pay extra to obtain. However, in 2025, high-speed operation is now mandatory, and we will almost certainly see all “slow speed” FFF 3D printers disappear from the market. Why buy a slow machine when there are so many high-speed options available?
Manual Post Processing
Post processing is the forgotten step in 3D printing: the work isn’t done until the supports are removed, the surfaces polished, the exterior painted, the metal annealed, etc. Traditionally, this has been done manually by humans. However, with the decreasing cost of equipment, the proportion of the labor cost becomes dominant. Many companies are seeking automated post-processing solutions, especially those in manufacturing. In 2025, it’s likely we will see many more automated post-processing solutions and a corresponding decrease in the labor for post-processing.
But what things will increase in 2025? Let’s have a look.
Filament Sold
For the past few years, both Creality and Bambu Lab have sold hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions of desktop 3D printers. Each and every one of those devices requires material to operate, and it’s very likely the amount of filament sold will continue to increase. This is particularly so as people become more adept at using their machines and making their own 3D models.
Desktop 3D Printers
Will more desktop 3D printers be sold? You bet your life that will happen. Innovations by leading companies have reduced the barrier to entry by simplifying and automating operations, and that opens the door to use by larger segments of the population. Bambu Lab CEO Dr. Tao told us it is their plan to make using a 3D printer even easier, so this effect will no doubt increase in 2025.
Metal 3D Printing
Of all the industrial applications for 3D printing, metal production has become widely adopted. This is largely because of the ability to produce lightweight aerospace production parts with unusual geometries, producible only with 3D printing.
As parts become certified by aerospace manufacturers, the use of metal 3D printers will continue to grow strongly.
Sustainable Materials
Sustainable materials, including recycled filaments, are very likely to increase in use in 2025. While today they make up a very slim percentage of the materials, there is increasing attention paid to issues of microplastics and climate change. Large corporate material buyers are starting to specify sustainability requirements in their requests, and material providers will have to adapt. They already are in a few cases, but this is not going to slow down in 2025.
Asian 3D Printer Manufacturers
China is an enormous country, and there are dozens of rather large 3D printer manufacturers that operate there. In 2024, we saw the beginning of their emergence into the rest of the world, while previously, they had operated regionally. In 2025, it’s likely we will see many more appear in the West and compete against existing players.
Hybrid Manufacturing
Manufacturers are gradually understanding 3D printing and realizing how to integrate it into their workflows. While originally, they would “3D print a part”, now there’s increased interest in hybrid manufacturing, where parts are made with a variety of tools and processes, including 3D printing. This transforms the technology into just another manufacturing tool, rather than a standalone system.
Professional 3D Printer Usage
The quality and ease of use of recently launched desktop devices position them in competition with what used to be called professional 3D printers. Features previously seen only on relatively expensive equipment are now available at far lower costs. While we may see a decrease in the traditional manufacturers of professional 3D printers, we will see more professionals using desktop 3D printers.
3D Printed Mass Market Products
Companies like Carbon work directly with product manufacturers to identify specific products that can be produced at scale with 3D print technology. They, and other companies like them, will almost certainly announce even more consumer products or components made with 3D printers.
3DCP
3D Construction Printing, or producing large concrete structures in an additive fashion, is growing very strongly and will continue to do so in 2025. There are several manufacturers of 3DCP equipment, and it’s slowly being adopted by local construction companies that seek to differentiate themselves. While there is much more development required for the technology, it’s now sufficient to deliver many useful projects. We’ll see more of that in 2025, with additional construction companies adopting the tech.
Generative AI Solutions
In 2024, we saw the first generative solutions for producing 3D models. They were, at first glance, miraculous: you could literally ask for a 3D model, and you’d get one. On second glance, the models weren’t that great.
However, development in AI occurs at a very rapid pace, and we will see dramatic improvements in 3D model generation capabilities in 2025. At some point, this tech may even challenge the many online repositories of 3D models: why store models when you can just generate what you want at any moment? That won’t happen in 2025, but we may see strong steps towards that future.
Simulation Usage
Simulation can assist 3D printing by identifying where structures and reinforcements are required. Traditionally, this is a compute-intensive process that has constrained its usage in the industry. It’s used when necessary.
That may begin to change in 2025, as AI solutions might break through that compute barrier with more efficient simulation solutions. If so, then we could see very advanced capabilities appear in slicing software that could create much better parts.
