Reaches $295.1 Million with 526 Systems Sold in 1995
The primary rapid prototyping (RP) market grew by 49% to an impressive $295.1 million in 1995. This figure includes revenues generated worldwide from product sales and services. The secondary market segment was estimated at $176.1 million for 1995, bringing the annual total to more than $471 million. The secondary market includes secondary tooling created from RP patterns, and castings and duplicate parts produced from this tooling.
"Soon, the RP industry will be measured in billions of dollars, Deutsche Marks, pounds, and yen," explained Terry Wohlers, principal consultant and president of Wohlers Associates. "New technologies, products, and applications have led to a new level of excitement in the rapid prototyping (RP) industry. These developments, coupled with strong growth in product sales and services, presents a very optimistic view of the RP industry and its future," Wohlers observed.
Wohlers has documented recent RP developments and trends in a new 40-page report titled Rapid Prototyping State of the Industry: 1995-96 Worldwide Progress Report. On 23 April 1996, he presented highlights from the report in his annual State of the Industry address at Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing '96 in Dearborn, Michigan. The RP&M '96 conference and exposition is sponsored by the Rapid Prototyping Association (RPA) of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). An estimated 526 RP systems were sold last year by 15 system manufacturers located in the US, Germany, and Japan. 3D Systems, Inc. (Valencia, CA) led the market in unit sales again last year, but the margin is narrowing. As the leading supplier of stereolithography machines, 3D Systems sold 130 units, while fast-growing Stratasys, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) sold 121 of its Fused Deposition Modeling systems.
Service bureaus (SBs) make up a large and vibrant part of the industry. The 1995 SB market was estimated at $135.5 million, representing annual growth of almost 43%. Meanwhile, a new market is beginning to unfold as US system manufacturers roll out less expensive, office-friendly systems targeted at product designers.
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