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Worldwide shipments of 3D Printers rose +9% in Q1 2016 compared to a year ago, according to latest figures by CONTEXT, the IT market analysis company. The growth was mainly bolstered by the Personal/Desktop Printer shipments, however, the Industrial/Professional market, which accounted for 78% of the global revenues, saw 20% fewer printers ship in Q1 2016 than in Q1 2015.
Global market leaders Stratasys and 3D Systems, both of which are in the midst of top management overhauls, again witnessed declines, shipping 32% and 66% fewer units than a year ago.
The Industrial/Professional portion of the 3D Printing market continued to struggle in Q1 2016 especially due to poor performance from market leaders Stratasys and 3D Systems. The bright side of the Industrial/Professional 3D Printing sector continued to be Metal 3D Printing, seeing a 29% Y/Y growth in the number of Metal based 3D Printing machines shipped in Q1 2016 versus a year ago. Three of the top five Industrial/Professional companies by revenue (EOS, SLM Solutions and Arcam AB) all have a strong or growing emphasis on metal 3D Printers showing the relevance of this segment to the overall market.
On the other side, the Desktop/Personal 3D Printer sector largely continues to grow quite separately from the Industrial/Professional side with little brand cross-over between the two segments. Taiwanese vendor XYZprinting remained the global leader in Q1 2016, but saw its share drop to 25% as new players entered the market in the period.
Looking into the future, CONTEXT is optimistic but reserved in its forecast in the Industrial/Professional sector in the near term until HP, Ricoh and others are fully engaged and can - along with retooled industry stalwarts like Stratasys and 3D Systems - convince manufacturing markets of the value of 3D Printing in plastics. It remains bullish on for the Personal/Desktop market in the near term with demand clearly evidenced by growing sales, pre-orders from start-ups and new brands entering the market. The total global market for 3D Printing including not only printer Hardware, but also Materials and Services is forecast to grow from $4.1B in 2015 to $18.4B by 2020.
Figure 1: Top 5 Vendor 3D Printer Market Share by Unit Volumes, Global Desktop/Personal Printers, Q1 2016
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Rank
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Company
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Q1 2016 Unit Shipments
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Q1 2016 Share
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1
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XYZprinting
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17,400
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25%
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2
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M3D
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6,265
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9%
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3
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Ultimaker
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5,438
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8%
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4
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Stratasys
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4,005
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6%
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5
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FlashForge
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3,725
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5%
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Figure 2: Top 5 Vendor 3D Printer Market Share by Printer Revenue, Global Industrial/Professional Printers, Q1 2016
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Rank
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Company
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Q1 2016 Printer Revenue (M)
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Q1 2016 Revenue Share
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1
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Stratasys
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$106.4
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29%
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2
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3D Systems
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$51.2
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14%
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3
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EOS
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$41.6
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11%
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4
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SLM Solutions
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$13.0
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3%
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5
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Arcam
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$11.6
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3%
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About CONTEXT:
Headquartered in London with approximately 250 staff across the world, CONTEXT specialises in tracking technology sales and pricing globally. Supported by the largest Distribution Channel Database in the world and coupled with our extensive experience in managing and reporting on large data sets, we provide the highest quality data that has been helping our clients make business-critical decisions for over 30 years. CONTEXT also works with Government Statistical Services and key Trade Associations globally.
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