The Wohlers Report 2024 has recorded a 24.4% growth in the shipment of metal additive manufacturing (AM) systems.
Announced by Wohlers Associates, powered by ASTM International, the Wohlers Report has been published for 29 consecutive years to provide organisations with detailed guidance, perspective and research results on the additive manufacturing sector.
For 21 of those years, the Wohlers Report has been tracking the metal additive manufacturing market segment. Last year, the report states that 3,793 metal additive manufacturing systems were sold compared to 3,049 in 2022. It also suggests the additive manufacturing industry grew by 11.1% to 20.035 billion USD, an estimate that has been based on hard data received from hundreds of companies worldwide.
The latest Wohlers Report was supported by the contribution of information and data from 245 organisations, including service providers, manufacturers of AM systems, and third-party material producers, and more than 110 people from 35 countries.
“Investors, government agencies, and organisations adopting AM are eager to know what will drive growth in the future,” commented Terry Wohlers, Head of Advisory Services and Market Intelligence at Wohlers Associates. “Significant expansion will come from a much wider range of applications and demand for end-use parts. For this to occur, systems will become faster, reducing the production cost per part. A reduction in material pricing, due largely to competitive pressures, will lower costs further.”
In the report, Wohlers Associates also notes how the certification of new designs and development of industry standards will further help the additive manufacturing industry to grow, while additional technology enhancements will ‘change the equation’ when determining whether AM is fit for a production application.
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