Military 3D Printing Market Size

Market Insights

Military 3D-Printing, a sizeable market, also was not able to resist the attack of pandemic and witnessed a decline of -3.8% in 2020 amid the pandemic. However, the industry gradually started to rebound from the year 2021 with the resumption of manufacturing facilities, availability of materials, the continuation of pending projects, etc. Furthermore, the growth of 3D-printing applications, the emergence of new technologies, increasing flexibility of materials, etc. would support the growth of the market in the coming years. Overall, the military 3D-printing market is likely to blossom at a double-digit CAGR of 14.8% in the coming five years to reach US$ 1.7 Billion in 2027.

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What is 3D printing?

3D printing is one of the emerging technologies of industry 4.0 or the fourth industrial revolution, which is used to create a three-dimensional object through the layer-by-layer deposition of material by utilizing the computer-created design. The significance of 3D printing in the military is of paramount importance as it offers rapid production of parts and supports military readiness on the battlefield. Furthermore, it shortens the supply chain as the required parts/structures can be self-produced anywhere and anytime. However, the utilization of this technology is still at the introduction stage as it is majorly used to produce prototypes and perform analysis for its suitability for the military before its use in real operations.

Key Players

The market for military 3D printing is consolidating as the major companies are performing mergers & acquisitions to quickly gain the leading position and to tap growing opportunities in this briskly expanding market.

For an instance; Desktop Metal, Inc., a leading provider of metal and carbon fiber 3D-printing solutions, acquired The Exone Company.

The supply chain of this market comprises several nodes including suppliers and distributors of 3D-printed parts, printers, materials, 3D-printing software providers, 3D-printing service providers, OEMs, and MRO companies using 3D printing. The following are the key players in the military 3D printing market.

• GE Aviation (GE Additive)
• 3D Systems Corporation
• Stratasys Ltd.
• OC Oerlikon Management AG
• Markforged Inc.
• The Exone Company (Now a part of Desktop Metal Inc.)
• Desktop Metal Inc.
• Proadways Group
• Optomec, Inc.
• Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (Wipro 3D)

Segments' Analysis

Platform Type

"Airborne platform is the largest and the fastest-growing platform type in the market during 2022-2027"

• With large and wide-scale utilization of 3D printing for military aircraft and drones. 
• Increasing demand for 3D printing for replacement parts to support aircraft sustainability management.
• 3D printing is highly utilized for the MRO activity of military aircraft, especially in the production of spare parts for old aircraft which are unable to obtain from their respective suppliers.
• Moreover, with the production of new aircraft, the use of 3D printing would grow more in the production of custom and complex parts.

Offering Type
"Printer is expected to remain the dominant offering type in the market during 2022-27" owing to the increasing preference of military to 3D-printed parts coupled with the increasing trend of portable 3D printers, which can be utilized anywhere at any point of time.

Application Type
"Prototyping application will remain the largest application type in the market during 2022-27"

• Increasing R&Ds associated with applications of 3D printing in military products.
• A large number of prototypes are made by military personnel to test the suitability of 3D-printed parts for military environments.
• However, the shift towards actual parts’ production for real operations will drive the growth of parts manufacturing applications over the next five years.

Process Type 
"Material Extrusion will remain the most preferred process type in the market during 2022-27", owing to the ease of operation and cost efficiency offered by the process. This process is highly preferred by the military to produce polymer prototypes.

Regional Analysis

"The USA, being the largest country in the world to utilize 3D printing for the military sector, leads the market"

• North America is expected to remain the largest market for military 3D printing during 2022-27.
• 3D printing is highly utilized by the US military in their home and overseas military bases.
• The USA is the global leader in terms of market size as well as growth in military 3D printing, propelled by favorable government policies with a sole aim to expand the utilization of 3D printing.
• For an instance, recently in January 2021, The US Department of Defense unveiled its additive manufacturing strat-egy to achieve widescale adoption of 3D printing by integrating 3D printing in its department and defense industrial bases and promotion of training and research and its agile and secure usage in defense.
• The highest defense expenditure of the country paired with the heavy funding for defense R&Ds will support the growth of the market in the region over the coming years.

Asia-Pacific is likely to grow at the fastest rate in the coming five years. This region has a large number of markets/countries with reasonably high defense expenditure, which are ready to grab the opportunities offered by this technology. Moreover, there are a large number of research undergoing in various countries, further boosting the pace of adoption of 3D printing in the region.

The military 3D-printing market is segmented into the following categories:

Military 3D-Printing Market, by Platform Type

• Airborne (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Naval (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Land (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Military 3D-Printing Market, by Application Type

• Prototyping (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Parts Manufacturing (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Tooling (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Military 3D-Printing Market, by Process Type

• Material Extrusion (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Powder Bed Fusion (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• VAT Photomerization (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Binder Jetting (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Directed Energy Deposition (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Others (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Military 3D-Printing Market, by Region

• North America (Country Analysis: the USA, and Rest of North America)
• Europe (Country Analysis: the UK,  Germany, France, Russia, and Rest of Europe)
• Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, India, and Rest of Asia-Pacific)
• Rest of the World (Country Analysis: Brazil, Israel, and Others)

Research Methodology

This strategic assessment report, from Stratview Research, provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today’s military 3D printing market realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period of 2022 to 2027.

The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner in order to provide a panoramic view of the market.

The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for the market participants as well as investors in the identification of the low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as to formulate the growth strategies to expedite their growth process.

This report offers high-quality insights and is the outcome of a detailed research methodology comprising extensive secondary research, rigorous primary interviews with industry stakeholders, and validation and triangulation with Stratview Research’s internal database and statistical tools.

More than 1,000 authenticated secondary sources, such as company annual reports, fact books, press releases, journals, investor presentations, white papers, patents, and articles, have been leveraged to gather the data.

We conducted more than 15 detailed primary interviews with the market players across the value chain in all four regions and industry experts to obtain both qualitative and quantitative insights.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights into the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

• Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.
• Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter’s five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.
• Market trend and forecast analysis.
• Market segment trend and forecast.
• Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, Product portfolio, New Product Launches, etc.
• Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.
• Emerging trends.
• Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.
• Key success factors.

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Company Profiling

• Detailed profiling of additional market players (up to three players)
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• Benchmarking of key players on the following parameters: Product portfolio, geographical reach, regional presence, and strategic alliances

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