AM Research Releases Q3 Market Data & Market Insights Report as 3D Printing Hits First-Ever $4B Quarter

It might not always feel like it, but the additive manufacturing (AM) industry is having a decent year, all things considered. As usual, AM Research (AMR) is busy analyzing and quantifying the details that tell the story of the AM market, and its latest offerings based on that close observation are now available: the Q3 2025 3DP/AM Market Data and Forecast for Metal AM and Polymer AM, as well as the 3DP/AM Market Insights: Q3 2025 report which paints the picture signaled by the data.

Among the most notable findings from the work by AMR’s EVP, Scott Dunham, is the fact that the AM market (as defined by the consultancy) surpassed $4 billion in a single quarter for the first time ever, totaling $4.01 billion. AMR defines the market as total sales of metal, polymer, and ceramic 3D printers, along with all associated revenue from materials and services. This includes $1.59 billion in metal AM revenue, $2.42 billion in polymer AM, and $2.15 billion in AM services, each showing solid year-over-year (YOY) growth.

That’s a YOY improvement of 12 percent, and a growth of about 3 percent over Q2 of this year. Of course, the narrative contained within that trajectory is just as important as the numbers themselves:

In 3DP/AM Market Insights: Q3 2025, Dunham writes, “Real momentum is building in the AM industry in Q3 2025. Although the growth rate is accelerating, it obviously has not been enough over the past four years to sustain the myriad of corporate interests and ventures in AM, to say nothing of profitability.

“We are seeing some re-capitalization trends and growth is happening in some cases outside the usual places. A number of companies have timed the market very well, leveraging the ability to develop and deploy innovative AM solutions that have been able to leapfrog the legacy AM markets. These companies are going to have a lot of possibilities open to them in the next few years.”

The report also points to a few shifts worth watching, like the fact that China is quickly becoming a major hub for AM contract manufacturing, and sporting goods could turn into a strong long-term growth area as more athletes use 3D printed gear. AMR also notes that production-level hardware is moving down-market, with lower-cost metal and polymer machines now showing real manufacturing capability.

Companies mentioned in the report include (but aren’t limited to) 3D Systems, Stratasys, Desktop Metal, Velo3D, Nikon SLM Solutions, EOS, Apple, Divergent, Creality, Bambu Lab, and Kickstarter. Additional companies tracked by AMR’s dataset range from HP, Renishaw, and Farsoon to consumer-adjacent brands like AnkerMake and SprintRay, further illustrating how wide the AM ecosystem has become.

Don’t forget that you can also see Scott present at next year’s Additive Manufacturing Strategies (AMS) in New York City, February 24-26! Much of what’s outlined in the new 3DP/AM Market Insights report, including the major growth drivers and the shifts taking shape across China, sporting goods, and lower-cost production hardware, will be explored in greater depth during his sessions. Scott will present his views on the latest market data at 9:40 AM on Day 1; he’ll give a forecast on dental market data at 1:30 PM on Day 2; and he’ll speak in both the morning and afternoon on Day 3.