Wohlers Report 2016: The Best 3D Printing Resource Just Keeps Getting Better

Wohlers Associates, Inc., recently released the Wohlers Report 2016, the company’s annual detailed analysis of additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing worldwide. According to the Report, interest in 3D printing again reached an unprecedented level and exceeded $5.1 billion last year, as well as growing by $1 billion for the second consecutive year.

Wohlers Associates is widely recognized as the leading consulting firm and foremost authority on additive manufacturing and 3D printing. This annual publication has served as the undisputed industry-leading report on the subject for more than two decades. Over its 21 years of publication, many (including me) have referred to the report as the “bible” of additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing—terms that are used interchangeably by the company and industry. I think it easily remains the most comprehensive resource on the topic and market.

Wohlers Report 2016
As it has from the beginning, Wohlers Report 2016 covers virtually every aspect of additive manufacturing, including its history, applications, underlying technologies, processes, manufacturers, and materials. It documents significant developments that have occurred in the past year, R&D and collaboration activities in government, academia, industry, and summarizes the worldwide state of the industry.

According to Wohlers Report 2016, the additive manufacturing (AM) industry, consisting of all AM products and services worldwide, grew 25.9% (CAGR) to $5.165 billion in 2015. The CAGR for the previous three years was 31.5%. Over the past 27 years, the CAGR for the industry has been an impressive 26.2%.

Wohlers Report 2016

For Wohlers Report 2016, input was collected from 51 industrial system manufacturers, 98 service providers, 15 third-party material producers, as well as many manufacturers of relatively low-cost desktop 3D printers.

The Report also includes contributions from 80 experts in 33 countries. No other published analysis of the AM industry is supported by more than two decades of hard data (and the knowledge gained from it) as the basis for computing growth, analyzing trends, and forecasting the future.

Wohlers Associates reports that, despite challenges, growth continued in many segments of the diverse industry, particularly in metal AM and the desktop 3D printer segments. In 2015, 62 manufacturers sold industrial-grade AM systems (valued at more than $5,000), compared to 49 in 2014, and twice as many as the 31 companies that sold industrial systems in 2011. All of these companies, and many others, are profiled in Wohlers Report 2016.

Wohlers Report 2016 is an excellent educational tool and reference. It provides an in-depth review and analysis of the industry worldwide. It includes growth, competitive products and services, and the future outlook for the industry. The report covers the technology’s history, applications, processes, materials, and equipment manufacturers. It also thoroughly documents developments in R&D, investment and collaborative activities in government, academia, and industry. The report brings to light the rich range of technologies, markets, and business models that are emerging within the industry.

The principal authors of the report are Tim Caffrey, senior consultant, Ian Campbell, associate consultant, and Terry Wohlers, principal consultant and president—all of Wohlers Associates. The company has developed the largest network of colleagues and contacts in the industry and said that this access has resulted in a report that offers an unparalleled window into AM and 3D printing. We agree.

The 335-page Wohlers Report 2016 includes 35 charts and graphs, 68 tables, and 322 photographs and illustrations. It also includes more than 160 pages of supplemental online information that is available to buyers of the Report.

Wohlers Report 2016 is not just another narrow “fluff,” over-priced marketing report. This is the real deal for anyone who really wants to know what’s really going on in the AM industry – whether novice or veteran. I highly recommend it.

For more information on Wohlers Report 2016.

Tags: 3D printing, additive manufacturing, AM, desktop 3D printing, Terry Wohlers, Tim Caffrey, Wohlers Associates, Wohlers Report 2016

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 28th, 2016 at 19:22. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.