The industrial additive manufacturing market recorded renewed growth of 5.6% in 2025, according to AMPOWER's annual market report.
The German-based strategy consultancy reported a period of stagnation in 2024.
It cites an 'increased demand for part-making and higher material consumption' as key factors in an increase in industry revenues.
In the equipment sector, the lower-cost machine segment specifically saw growth thanks to an increase in the number of units sold.
A significant new focus of the report is the market for desktop polymer systems (investment costs below EUR 10,000). This segment is said to have seen an 'impressive growth of over 30%' and is increasingly gaining industrial relevance. Companies are progressively investing in large-scale "print farms" rather than relying solely on expensive individual industrial systems, AMPOWER suggests.
In the field of metal additive manufacturing, AMPOWER reports, 'the trend towards consolidation and fragmentation continues.' The ten largest manufacturers of metal PBF (Laser Powder Bed Fusion) systems slightly lost market share, now holding approximately 78.3% of global revenue, compared to 80% the previous year. Simultaneously, 'new players, particularly from China, are increasingly entering the market.'
The defence and space, as well as consumer, industries remain the central growth drivers for metal AM. With growth rates exceeding 20% over the last four years, AMPOWER says military OEMs and startups are increasingly utilising the technology to solve supply chain issues and produce drones and next-generation components.
Matthias Schmidt-Lehr, Partner at AMPOWER, said: "We are seeing the market regain significant momentum after the flatline in 2024. The development in the desktop segment is particularly exciting; it is no longer reserved for hobbyists but is increasingly meeting industrial requirements and challenging traditional classifications."
AMPOWER says that since the report is balanced in Euros, the currently weak Dollar exchange rate led to a calculated reduction in growth. Furthermore, the uncertain customs situation influenced the investment behaviour of buyers, especially since the USA represents a major market. Although the market thus fell short of the original forecasts from the previous year, the long-term trend continues to point upwards: the annual growth forecast for the total market was slightly raised to 13.5%.
The AMPOWER Report 2026 is available in full here.
