3D Printer Shipments up 16% in Q1 2017 as Mid-Market Starts to Heat Up

The first three months of 2017 saw both worldwide shipments and revenues in the 3D Printer market increase, with activity ramping up in the mid-market according to latest data by CONTEXT.

Shipments were up by +16% in Q1 2017, driven by gains in the Personal/Desktop category, which saw unit volumes rise to over 88K (+17% year-on-year). The news was less positive in the Industrial/Professional sector, which saw 8% fewer shipments than a year ago.

Overall, global 3D printer revenues were up by +4% in the first quarter, thanks to stronger demand for high-priced metal-based industrial printers.

Although unit volumes in the Industrial/Professional category shrank, a rise in the weighted average price - from $111,241 to $128,549 - ensured revenue growth of +6%.

On the other hand, revenues in the Personal/Desktop category were down by -1% due to a year-on-year weighted average price drop from $1,142 to $970 in Q1 2017. This sector continues to be dominated by lower-priced printers, with 75% of shipments being of models priced at or below $1,000.

While the high and the low end of the 3D printer space are clearly defined, the market is currently seeing a lot of action in the grey middle ground.

Products from both categories in the blurry price range of $3K - $25K saw unit volumes rise +31% compared to a year ago, while sub-$3K desktop 3D printers saw unit volumes increase by +17%.

In the low-end of the Personal/Desktop segment, XYZprinting and Monoprice continued to price aggressively and remained leaders in terms of global unit share. At the high end of this segment are vendors like Ultimaker and Formlabs whose continue to balance between pricing and unit volumes serves them well, leading to the top spots in global revenue share of the Personal/Desktop category.

Table 1: Top 5 Vendor 3D Printer Market Share by Unit Volumes and Printer Revenues, Global Personal/Desktop Printers Q1’17 

Table 2: Top 5 Vendor 3D Printer Market by Revenue from Industrial/Professional Machines shipped Q1’17 

Source:    Context

12 июля 2017