He is one of the principal authors of the Wohlers Report, the 2017 version of which has just been released this week.
As we see with each annual edition of the Wohlers Report, high anticipation preceded its release; the Report is commonly referred to as ‘the bible of the 3D printing industry’ which, while perhaps hyperbolic, underscores the esteem with which it, and its creators, are held. Along with Terry Wohlers, principal authors for the 2017 Report include Associate Consultants Ian Campbell, Olaf Diegel, and Joseph Kowen.
“It would not have been possible to produce it without them. They are central to our network of colleagues and contacts—the largest and most developed, we believe, in the AM industry,” said Wohlers of the authors’ valued contributions.
- 28 charts and graphs
- 26 tables
- 232 photographs and illustrations
- 160+ pages of supplemental online information available to buyers of the report
Among the findings presented are a look at the growing shape of the industry. According to the Wohlers Report 2017, while in 2014 the industry saw 49 manufacturers producing and selling additive manufacturing systems, this number rose to 62 companies in 2015 — and up to 97 manufacturers active in 2016. This clear trend of growth shows the changing landscape in the field, presenting what Wohlers Associates describes as “interesting products and unprecedented competition in the AM industry.”
While year-over-year revenues have slowed since those presented in the 2016 Report, global growth of 17.4% is still a double-digit rate not seen in many other manufacturing fields. (Growth in 2015 was recorded at 25.9%.) Excluding, however, the two largest system manufacturers in the field — which both saw declines, and which together account for $1.31 billion of the overall $6.063 billion industry — that growth would be a still-slower-but-notably-different 24.9% for the year. That competition is picking up in the industry is undisputed, as many industry experts are noting, several while speaking at the same events as Wohlers; what remains to be seen is how some high-profile moves from other major companies will reshape growth and prospects.
These broad strokes are only a bare glimpse into what Wohlers Report 2017 presents, as those 344 pages are full of in-depth analysis touching on history, applications, materials, processes, and equipment manufacturers, covering R&D, investment, and activities in government, academia, and industry.
Prior to my work with 3DPrint.com, I worked for six years in industry research and forecasting, editing hundreds of research reports and authoring several myself that covered a broad range of industries. The depth and focus presented in the Wohlers Report extends far beyond the norm in such reports, offering a keen look directly into the heart of the matter. The experienced team Wohlers Associates worked with in compiling this year’s Report goes well past that seen in other documentations and forecasting associations, as the direct insight from the ground up offers an uncontested expertise.
In addition to my previous work in market research, I also have a background in the theatre and interactive performance. If there’s one thing I learned above all others in my time working outdoor festivals, it was simply: The village makes the king. Anyone can walk around in a crown and call himself a king, but it isn’t until he receives the respect of the villagers that the title holds any weight. In the case of the Wohlers Report, we see the village that is the 3D printing industry rallying around this banner, highlighting it as the leading resource that it truly is.
Terry Wohlers will be presenting a keynote next month at RAPID + TCT, where he will again share his expertise with the crowd, and 3DPrint.com will be present and paying rapt attention. You can order the Wohlers Report 2017 here from Wohlers Associates. Discuss in the Wohlers Report forum at 3DPB.com.