Sculpteo’s “State of 3D Printing” Industry Report Unveils the Characteristics of Power Users

Regardless of whether or not you’ve used their professional 3D printing services, it’s easy to appreciate the France-based company Sculpteo for spreading knowledge and offering helpful tips about 3D printing, as well as providing information on the community propping it up. One quick peek at their blog would show a collection of valuable posts, from detailing different ways to efficiently implement 3D printing into your business, or even showcasing features that make their own 3D printing services more affordable for customers.

In addition to these informative posts, for the second year now, Sculpteo has also launched a recurring series of posts for their “State of 3D Printing 2016” industry report, which acts as an in-depth examination of the current trends and characteristics of the additive manufacturing market. The report is based on information provided by around 1,000 online respondents located all around the world, a majority of which are from Europe (55%) or the United States (39%). These survey participants come from a multitude of professional backgrounds, including CEOs, engineers, freelancers, and designers.

After unveiling the methodology behind their survey, as well as trends in the hobbyist market, Sculpteo recently released the entirety of their “State of 3D Printing” industry report. Using all of this data from their professional survey respondents, Sculpteo has now identified the “Seven Characteristics of the 3D Printing Power User”, showcasing the attributes of those who are pushing the additive manufacturing forward. This ‘Power User’ category was newly integrated into this year’s industry report, grouping together those who are ‘pushing boundaries and usage’ in the 3D printing industry.

For starters, 95% of these Power Users declare themselves as professionals, while 88% among those see themselves as experts to intermediate 3D printing. An even greater percentage (97%) of the so-called ‘Power Users’ note the competitive advantage that 3D printing technology provides to them over other organizations and companies. They’re are also more than twice as likely (59%) to rank accelerating product development as a top priority compared to non-power users (26%). In addition, 61% of these boundary pushing respondents have generated return on investment (ROI) through their use of 3D printing, much higher than the 40% of non-power users who claim the same.

Another notable finding on these Power Users is their supreme technical expertise, as 93% of them are the creators of their own 3D files, and they also deploy a broader range of materials in their 3D printing expeditions compared to non-power users. A majority of these Power Users (64%) have been efficiently trained to handle different technologies, and have integrated 3D printing solutions into at least two of their programs. Lastly, these Power Users might just be looking to employee you, as Sculpteo’s survey has found that 44% say they will be hiring in 2016, while only 32% of non-power users are planning to do the same.

Undoubtedly, the 3D printing industry is chock-full of so many different technologies and potential applications, that it’s been hard to dictate who is truly pioneering additive manufacturing. But, thanks to Sculpteo’s “State of 3D Printing” industry report, as well as their wide range of professional survey respondents, we are now better able to figure out who these true ‘Power Users’ are, as well as what they’re getting out of this emerging manufacturing technology. You can check out a summary of the 2016 “State of 3D Printing”, which details six key takeaways from their industry report, here. Discuss further in the 3D Printing Power Users forum over at 3DPB.com.