The FINANCIAL — Worldwide 3D printer shipments rose 52% year on year in the first half of 2015, reflecting ongoing demand among both consumers and businesses.
Taiwan’s XYZprinting took the top spot for the period as the largest 3D printer vendor worldwide, representing 22% of shipments. The company has been helped by its low-cost offerings, with products that use both material extrusion and vat polymerization technologies, according to Canalys.
‘This follows a trend in the 3D printing industry where many small and medium-sized businesses are experimenting with switching from larger, more established players to smaller local vendors, which promise the same product quality and substantially lower prices,’ said Analyst Joe Kempton. ‘Additionally, the compelling price points have helped these products become increasingly popular among consumers and some have seen remarkable success in the education market too. Several of the major 3D printing vendors struggled in the first half of 2015, some as a result of lackluster product offerings. This allowed smaller vendors to perform exceptionally well. Various market forces also contributed to this dip, including the falling value of the yen and euro against the US dollar, with many large customers delaying purchasing decisions.’
The total value derived from sales of 3D printers, and associated materials and services grew by 21% to reach almost US$1.8 billion in the first half of 2015. Canalys predicts that the worldwide market will reach US$20.2 billion by 2019. 3D printing shipment and value data is taken from Canalys’ 3D printing service, which tracks the leading 3D printing vendors, by both shipments and value.
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