3D Hubs Releases Worldwide 3D Printing Trends Report for February 2016

As you gasp with surprise that the second month of a new year is actually already upon us, we bring you the latest from 3D Hubs with their Worldwide 3D Printing Trends Report for February 2016. This data is always fun to read because surprises, big and small, usually pop up, and we are able to learn what real users in the real world are doing. Currently, there are positive highlights and upward movement for several 3D printers and happy manufacturers accompanying them. Also quite notably, the figures for the number of 3D Hubs around the globe rose from 25,000 last month to 26,500 this month—all busy innovating in a total of 150 countries.

In the ‘Highest Rated 3D Printers,’ both first and second hold tight this month as both the PowerSpec 3D Pro and the Prusa Steel remain in the coveted number one and two spots. Third place, however, shows the Vellemena K4800 making quite the jump all the way from #8. While this category was a bit more low-key than usual, we were interested—but not surprised—to see that the Zortrax M200 has added a whopping 150 ‘stellar new reviews,’ and is holding strong at #6. Also racking up the good reviews is Flashforge’s Creator Pro, climbing four rungs to #8, and according to 3D Hubs data is now the third printer in the top 20 list to reach 1,000 reviews.

The ‘Highest Rated Industrial Printers’ tend to hold on slow and steady without a lot of change, and that’s the case this month as the top three remain the same, in the form of the Objet Eden260, ProJet 460Plus, and the Projet 3500 HDMax.

We get to the good stuff with ‘Trending Printers,’ as the Da Vinci 1.0 Junior arrives on the scene to show off a 57.1% growth to go with its sudden grasp on the first-place crown. XYZprinting is a company that’s on fire with success, so this is no surprise, but it’s certainly an impressive leap. The Duplicator I3 showed 31.5% growth and climbed one spot in place of the Form 2, which is now trending at #3.

The LulzBot Mini, another popular printer, is showing up in the top ten again at #4, and the ATOM 2.0 takes fifth place. Also of note for #6 is CEL Robox which climbed nine spots to take its place, with the Micro Delta trailing behind.

Taking a look at ‘Top Print Cities,’ as a lover of the Big Apple, I’m always glad to see New York City still on top as far as 3D printing goes, although LA may begin to give them a run for their money. We’ve been keeping an eye on the emerging Toronto, which held steady at #9 for a while but has, yes, indeed moved up to #8 this month, dislodging Boston. As far as printing locations go, have you ever been to a 3D Hubs event? They invite you to check out their calendar for cities hosting events all around the world this month.

In ‘Printer Model Distribution,’ the Prusa i3 has not only kept its position in first, but also surpassed the 2,000 printer mark. Again, the Zortrax M200 receives mention as it begins to work on slowly nudging the Replicator 2X out of place. And, the ‘Printer Manufacturer Distribution’ category makes us all witness to history this month as the MakerBot becomes the first 3D printing manufacturer to hit the 3,000 mark.

The ‘Popular Printers by Region’ shows the PrintrBot Simple Metal trading spots with the Replicator 2x for #3. Once again, the Zortrax M200 comes into play this month as they are the only 3D printer to show a gain in Europe, as the rest fall back. For Asia, the Prusa i3 and the FlashForge Creator Pro both gained market share. South America showed only a slight change as the Prusa i3 gained 0.6% this month, while the others retreated in a minor fashion.

‘Popular Materials’ shows ABS print orders on average costing around $34.2 per order, with PLA costing $31.4. Resin orders are still more expensive and have remained around the same price at $50.7. Regarding industrial prints, average orders went down by $1.6 for nylon, decreased $4.1 for PolyJet, with full color sandstone—generally the highest—also coming in less at .70.

With such an increase in hubs this month, it’s pretty fascinating to check out the map below and imagine so many people innovating on a variety of 3D printers in so many different areas of the world. Thanks to 3D Hubs we have a better idea of which tools and materials everyone is using too. Until next month! Were there any major surprises for you in this month’s report? Discuss in the Worldwide 3D Printing Trends Report for February 2016 forum over at 3DPB.com.