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Wohlers Associates, Inc.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Worldwide Study Reveals Industry Growth of 24.1%
FORT
COLLINS, COLORADO, USA, May 16, 2011—Wohlers Associates, Inc. today
announced the publication of Wohlers Report 2011, an annual global
study on the additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing state of the
industry. This 270-page report, considered by many to be the industry’s
“Bible,” marks its 16th consecutive year of publication.
Additive
manufacturing is the process of joining materials to make objects from
3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive
manufacturing methodologies. Additive manufacturing is used to build
physical models, prototypes, patterns, tooling components, and
production parts in plastic, metal, and composite materials.
The
new report documents the latest developments in additive manufacturing
technologies, including the explosive growth of low-cost “personal”
systems that support the do-it-yourself “maker movement.” It discusses
other trends in the industry, such as the rapid development of metal
materials and the increasing use of these technologies for the
production of end-use products.
According to Wohlers Report
2011, the AM industry rebounded strongly in 2010 from the global
economic recession. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of revenues
produced by all AM products and services in 2010 was 24.1%. In 2009,
the industry declined by 9.7%. The CAGR for the industry's 23-year
history is an impressive 26.2%.
“I am happy to see the additive
manufacturing industry recover as quickly as it has,” said Tim Caffrey,
associate consultant at Wohlers Associates and a major contributor of
content and editorial for the new edition of the report. “We expect the
industry to continue its strong double-digit growth over the next
several years,” Caffrey stated. Wohlers Associates conservatively
forecasts industry-wide growth to be $3.1 billion by 2016 and $5.2
billion by 2020.
The report includes new sections on
intellectual property and product liability implications, and expanded
information on end-use part production. It also includes industry
growth estimates and forecasts, new developments and business
opportunities, emerging applications, research and development, and
where the industry is headed in the future. The study was created with
support from 58 co-authors, 70 service providers, 32 system
manufacturers, and many others worldwide. To support the review and
analysis, the report includes 43 charts and graphs, 60 tables, and 176
photographs and illustrations.
The report is priced at US$495
worldwide and is available in PDF form. The report’s table of contents,
as well as additional information on the market and industry, are
available at wohlersassociates.com.
Wohlers Associates is an
independent consulting firm that provides technical, marketing, and
strategic advice on the new developments and trends in rapid product
development and additive manufacturing. For more information, visit
wohlersassociates.com.
Report Development
Team
The
following individuals and organizations contributed to Wohlers Report 2011
and served
as important sources for information.
Mukesh Agarwala | 3D Product Development (India) |
Joe Benatmane | Econolyst (England) |
Paulo Jorge Bártolo | Institute Polytechnic of Leiria (Portugal) |
Joseph Beaman | University of Texas at Austin |
Alain Bernard | Ecole Centrale de Nantes (France) |
Jan Blömer | Fraunhofer UMSICHT (Germany) |
Mike Burton | RMIT University (Australia) |
David Bourell | University of Texas at Austin |
Tim Caffrey | Wohlers Associates, Inc. |
Ian Campbell | Loughborough University (England) |
Andy Christensen | Medical Modeling Inc. |
Adam Clare | University of Nottingham (England) |
Deon de Beer | Vaal University of Technology (South Africa) |
Jason Dickman | American Precision Prototyping |
Olaf Diegel | Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand) |
Igor Drstvenšek | University of Maribor (Slovenia) |
Pablo Elenter | Robtec (Brazil) |
Ismail Fidan | Tennessee Tech University |
Joe Frascati | Prototype Productions, Inc. |
Ping Fu | Geomagic, Inc. |
Michael Gayk | York Technical College |
Ian Gibson | National University of Singapore (Singapore) |
Tim Gornet | University of Louisville |
Andrzej Grzesiak | FhG Institute for Mfg. Eng. & Automation (Germany) |
Joan Guasch | ASCAMM (Spain) |
Richard Hague | Loughborough University (England) |
Ola Harrysson | North Carolina State University |
Forrest Higgs | Brosis Innovations, Inc. |
Berndt Holmer | IVF Industrial Research and Development Corp. (Sweden) |
Johannes Homa | Austria |
Neil Hopkinson | Loughborough University (England) |
Luca Iuliano | Politecnico di Torino (Italy) |
Olivier Jay | Danish Technological Institute (Denmark) |
Jason Jones | De Montfort University (England) |
Ulf Lindhe | netfabb (Germany) |
Frank Medina | University of Texas at El Paso |
Jorge Mireles | University of Texas at El Paso |
Greg Morris | Morris Technologies |
Tom Mueller | Express Pattern |
Randall Newton | Jon Peddie Research |
John Obielodan | Utah State University |
Joris Peels | i.materialise (Belgium) |
Phil Reeves | Econolyst (England) |
Monica Savalani | Hong Kong Polytechnic University (China) |
Kevin Scofield | Geomagic, Inc. |
Joel Segal | University of Nottingham (England) |
Michael Siemer | Mydea Technologies Corp. |
Brent Stucker | University of Louisville |
Chris Tuck | Loughborough University (England) |
Jukka Tuomi | Helsinki University of Technology (Finland) |
Bart van de Vorst | TNO (Netherlands) |
Jonas Van Vaerenbergh | LayerWise (Belgium) |
Michael Weinberg | Public Knowledge |
Ryan Wicker | University of Texas at El Paso |
Jonathan Wilke | Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology |
David Wimpenny | De Montfort University (England) |