In its research for Wohlers Report 2014, Wohlers Associates, Inc. found that revenues from the production of parts for final products represents 34.7 percent of the entire market for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing—terms that are used interchangeably. Since 2003, this market segment has gone from less than 4 percent to more than one-third of total revenues from AM products and services worldwide. In capturing this share of the market, the use of AM for this application grew by 65.4 percent in 2013 to an estimated $1.065 billion, up from $643.8 million the prior year. This is the first time in the history of AM for this market segment to reach the $1 billion mark.
"We are seeing companies push the limits of additive manufacturing to new levels and apply the technology in entirely new ways," said Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates and a principal author of Wohlers Report 2014. "Through investment, hard work, and determination, companies in aerospace, medical, dental, and other industries are finding ways to use AM to produce quality parts," Wohlers stated. Given the vast interest and opportunities that lie ahead, Wohlers Associates strongly believes that the use of AM for series production will grow to become the largest application, by far, in the future.
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