Additive Manufacturing Report 2025: Key Data & Innovations

The Additive Manufacturing Report 2025 provides firmographic, innovation, and investment data to outline the current state of the additive manufacturing industry. It examines how the sector is scaling from niche applications to widespread industrial adoption, supported by advances in materials, software, and bioprinting technologies. The additive manufacturing outlook highlights how companies are responding to rising demand by expanding talent pools, increasing patent filings, and attracting sustained venture capital.

In addition, this additive manufacturing industry report spotlights key insights such as strategic acquisitions, startup growth, and global expansion across critical hubs. It offers a clear snapshot of how innovation, investment, and commercialization are converging to position additive manufacturing as a foundational pillar of next-generation production systems.

Executive Summary: Additive Manufacturing Report 2025

• Industry Growth Overview: According to our database, the additive manufacturing industry recorded a growth rate of 16.32% over the past year. By 2032, it is expected to grow to USD 113.16 billion.
• Manpower & Employment Growth: The industry currently employs over 1.3 million professionals worldwide and added more than 80 000 new jobs in the past year.
• Patents & Grants: With over 178 000 patents and nearly 5700 grants awarded, additive manufacturing shows decent R&D intensity.
• Global Footprint: The sector’s presence spans hubs in the USA, Germany, India, the UK, and China. Cities like Shenzhen, Bangalore, London, and New York emerged as leading centers for innovation, manufacturing, and talent development.
• Investment Landscape: The additive manufacturing sector closed 8440+ funding rounds from 7100 investors across 2660+ companies. The average investment value was about USD 32.5 million per round.
• Top Investors: Some of the top investors in this sector include Stratasys, Kennedy Lewis, Norwest Venture Partners, Nikon, and Jefferies Group. The total investment value from such top investors is over 7.3 billion.
• Startup Ecosystem: A few of the innovative startups are Fugo 3D (layerless centrifugal 3D printing), Filament2 (3D printing silicone filaments), Ginger Additive (large-scale pellet 3D printer), Verne AM Labs (polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) laser sintering systems), and LEAM Technologies (thermal control systems).

Methodology: How We Created This Additive Manufacturing Report

This additive manufacturing report is based on proprietary data from our AI-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, which tracks 7 million global companies, 20K+ technologies and trends as well as 150M patents, news articles and market reports. This data includes detailed firmographic insights into approximately 7 million startups, scaleups, and tech companies. Leveraging this exhaustive database, we provide actionable insights for startup scouting, trend discovery, and technology landscaping.

For this additive manufacturing outlook, we focused on the evolution of additive manufacturing over the past 5 years, utilizing our platform’s trend intelligence feature. Key data points analyzed include:

• Total Companies working in the sector
• News Coverage and Annual Growth
• Market Maturity and Patents
• Global Search Volume & Growth
• Funding Activity and Top Countries
• Subtrends within additive manufacturing

Our data is refreshed regularly, enabling trend comparisons for deeper insights into their relative impact and importance.

Additionally, we reviewed trusted external resources to supplement our findings with broader market data and predictions, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive overview of the additive manufacturing market.

What Data is Used to Create This Additive Manufacturing Market Report?

Based on data provided by the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, we observe that the additive manufacturing market stands out in the following categories relative to the 20K+ technologies and trends we track.

These categories provide a comprehensive overview of the market’s key metrics and inform the future direction of the market.

• News Coverage & Publications: More than 7900+ news and articles were published about the additive manufacturing industry.
  
• Funding Rounds: The platform records over 8440+ funding rounds.
• Manpower: The industry employed more than 1.3 million workers and added over 80 500 new employees in the last year.
• Patents: The sector holds a decent innovation profile, with 178 650 patents filed.
• Grants: It secured 5680+ grants that reflect support from public and private funding bodies for ongoing R&D efforts.
• Yearly Global Search Growth: Global search interest in additive manufacturing grew by 39.29% last year.

Explore the Data-driven Additive Manufacturing Industry Report for 2025

The additive manufacturing sector continues its upward trajectory, with 2600+ startups and over 25 000 companies currently active in the space. The industry recorded a growth rate of 16.32% over the past year.

A total of 178 650 patents and 5680+ grants reflect the intensity of research and development advancing this transformation. Employment in the sector now exceeds 1.3 million professionals globally, with 80 500 new jobs added in the last year alone.

Geographically, the USA, Germany, India, the UK, and China stand out as dominant country hubs. Cities like Shenzhen, London, New York City, Bangalore, and Melbourne emerge as key innovation and manufacturing centers.

Further, North America is anticipated to hold the top position geographically, capturing 34.7% of the market in 2025. Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as the fastest-growing region, with a 27.8% market share that same year.

A Snapshot of the Global Additive Manufacturing Market

Additive manufacturing continues its rapid evolution with a 16.32% annual growth rate and expanding its global footprint.

Credit: Wohlers Associates

It was valued at USD 21.9 billion in 2024 and is projected to be worth USD 25.39 billion in 2025. By 2032, the market is expected to grow to USD 113.16 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.8% over the forecast period.

Further, by 2034, revenue could reach USD 83.9 billion under a conservative growth scenario. With moderate growth, it is projected to hit USD 114.5 billion and as high as USD 145.2 billion in an aggressive growth case. This range highlights the potential for expansion within the sector over the coming years.

Similarly, 3D printing software revenues are projected to grow from USD 2.44 billion in 2025 to USD 6.78 billion by 2033.

The hardware segment is expected to lead the market in 2025, accounting for 58.3% of total market share. The industrial 3D printer category will represent 68.6% of the market in 2025. Within this, the fused deposition modeling (FDM) subsegment is projected to be the largest, with a 25.6% share.

The single-material additive manufacturing segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of 10.5%-13.0%. Meanwhile, the dual-material additive manufacturing segment that enables the use of multiple materials at once, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.0%-15.0%.

Moreover, the industry currently supports 2600+ startups. Of these, 870+ are early-stage companies which indicate sustained interest in foundational research and new applications. Meanwhile, 710+ mergers and acquisitions (M&A) suggest ongoing consolidation and strategic scaling across the ecosystem.

Innovation remains a core driver, with the sector generating 178 650 patents filed by 38 260+ applicants. This represents an 11.11% year-over-year (YoY) growth in patent activity. Geographically, the USA leads with 50 970+ patents, closely followed by China with 46 760+.

Explore the Funding Landscape of the Additive Manufacturing Market

The additive manufacturing industry continues to attract financial interest, with an average investment value of USD 32.5 million per round.

To date, our database recorded closure of more than 8440+ funding rounds, with backing from over 7100 distinct investors. Investment activity spans over 2660+ companies. This includes both early-stage bets and growth-stage support across the value chain.

Credit: The Association for Manufacturing Technology

Moreover, global venture capital investment in additive manufacturing fell by 44%, dropping from USD 1.99 billion in 2022 to USD 1.11 billion in 2023. Despite a 5.5% CAGR since 2019, this decline reflects post-COVID market corrections. Notably, in 2023, USD 579 million went into application-focused deals that led to 56% of total funding from just 21% of the deals.

Credit: The Association for Manufacturing Technology

Additionally, the number of additive-related acquisitions peaked at 66 in 2021, up from 25 in 2020. Activity declined in the following years, with 41 acquisitions in 2022 and 24 in 2023, returning to pre-2021 levels.

Who is Investing in the Additive Manufacturing Market?

The combined investment value by the top investors in additive manufacturing exceeds USD 7.3 billion.

• Stratasys leads with investments in 11 companies, totaling USD 1.1 billion.
• Kennedy Lewis invested USD 887.5 million into a single company.
• Norwest Venture Partners backed 2 companies with a total investment of USD 827.4 million.
• Nikon allocated USD 750.9 million across 6 companies.
• Jefferies Group invested USD 723.6 million in at least one company.
• Acerinox entered the space with a USD 625.9 million investment in at least one company.
• SBVA contributed USD 620 million to at least a single firm.
• PNC Financial Services supported a minimum of one company with USD 600 million.
• Desktop Metal invested USD 586.9 million across 4 companies.
• SoftBank invested USD 582.5 million across 5 companies.

Top Additive Manufacturing Innovations & Trends

Discover the emerging trends in the additive manuacturing market along with their firmographic details:

• Metal Additive Manufacturing recorded a 25.64% annual growth rate. With 570 companies, it employs 60 500 people globally. The domain added 3600 new employees in the last year for activities in high-strength, lightweight parts in aerospace, automotive, and defense applications.
• 3D Printing Materials form the backbone of innovation in the industry, with an annual growth rate of 17.27%. It supports 1370+ companies and a workforce of 60 900 professionals, including 4600 newly hired employees in the past year. This segment reflects the growing need for material diversity and performance optimization in additive workflows across sectors.
• 3D Bioprinting grows with an annual rate of 27.11%. With 460+ companies and 23 200 total employees, 2400 joined in the last year. This sector caters to tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and pharmaceutical research.

5 Top Examples from 2600+ Innovative Additive Manufacturing Startups

The five innovative startups showcased below are picked based on data including the trend they operate within and their relevance, founding year, funding status, and more. Book a demo to find promising startups, emerging trends, or industry data specific to your company’s needs and objectives.

Fugo 3D offers Layerless Centrifugal 3D Printing

US-based startup Fugo 3D develops the Model A, a centrifugal 3D printer that leverages centrifugal force to achieve dimensional accuracy of less than 30 microns. It prints at speeds of up to 1.2 mm per minute across a full envelope.

It features a “dry-to-dry” system that manages printing, post-production cleaning, and finishing in a single integrated workflow. This reduces manual intervention and turnaround time.

Moreover, each unit is custom-built with adaptable software interfaces and supports photopolymers and compound materials with binder-based curing. The machine minimizes internal support structures, which lowers material consumption and operational costs.

Filament2 makes 3D Printing Silicone Filaments

Israeli startup Filament2 makes silicone paste filament that enables standard FDM 3D printers to print paste and powder materials without requiring any hardware modifications. The filament consists of a hollow tube pre-filled with materials such as silicone, epoxy, metals, and edible pastes which extrudes through the nozzle.

The nozzle installs easily and ensures smooth material flow, while the filament format retains compatibility with existing FDM workflows. This system further allows precise, controlled deposition and supports multi-material designs across industries including aerospace, medical, food, electronics, and rapid prototyping.

Ginger Additive builds a Large-Scale Pellet 3D Printer

Italian startup Ginger Additive builds G1, a granule-based 3D printer that processes industrial pellets and shredded recycled flakes to produce medium-complexity parts at scale.

The printer operates using a Cartesian architecture and features a 1-cubic-meter build volume. This is also supported by a large heated bed that ensures strong material adhesion throughout the print area.

Further, the printer integrates automatic bed leveling through adaptive meshing for precise layer alignment while reducing manual setup. Thus, it combines high extrusion flow, low material cost, and compatibility with recycled or specialty thermoplastics.

Verne AM Labs provides a PEKK Laser Sintering 3D Printer

French startup Verne AM Labs develops STROM, a laser sintering 3D printer to process thermoplastics like PEKK for end-use and metal-replacement applications. The printer uses a CO2 laser with a theta-lens focus system and a build chamber that maintains temperatures up to 380°C.

It integrates AI-enhanced scanning strategies and infrared (IR) camera-based temperature control to optimize speed, mechanical performance, and process uniformity. The system includes layer-by-layer image analysis for in-process quality control.

Additionally, the printer connects with the SM-1 powder management system for automatic sieving, mixing, and transfer. Thus, the startup offers industrial-grade precision, automated material handling, and compatibility with advanced polymers.

LEAM Technologies offers Thermal Control Systems

German startup LEAM Technologies offers thermal control systems that integrate modular, LED-based emitters and full-ring thermal sensors. They optimize temperature management around the extrusion nozzle.

The systems monitors and adjusts the temperature of both the extruded material and the printed part. With 360° emitters and sensor arrays, they apply localized heating, cooling, or dynamic feed rate corrections without requiring mechanical movement.

Moreover, each system uses only visible-spectrum light and eliminate the need for laser safety infrastructure. Also, it provides real-time, responsive modulation that stabilizes material properties across varied tool paths and ambient conditions.

Further, its open communication standards enable retrofitting into new or existing large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) systems without altering machine programs.

Gain Comprehensive Insights into Additive Manufacturing Trends, Startups, and Technologies

This Additive Manufacturing Report 2025 records a sector evolving from innovation to industrialization. The insights reveal the advances in technology, growing talent pools, and targeted investment beyond early experimentation.

Applications grow more practical, and funding shifts toward real-world deployment. This drives the additive manufacturing ecosystem into a new phase of global integration and operational maturity. From next-gen healthcare tools to lightweight aerospace parts, the report illustrates the projections in the additive manufacturing industry.

As a result, this report will support stakeholders, industry leaders, and policymakers in understanding emerging opportunities. It will also guide strategic decisions and navigate the sector’s continued transformation.

Get in touch to explore 2600+ startups and scaleups, as well as all market trends impacting 25 300 additive manufacturing companies.