The Money Behind AM: What to Watch at AM Investment Strategies 2026

For years, simply being a 3D printing company could attract attention from investors. New machines, new materials, faster speeds, and the promise of mass production were often enough to get investors interested. But the market looks very different in 2026. Today, additive manufacturing (AM) companies have to show much more. They need customers. They need applications. They need a clear path to growth. And they need to prove why their technology matters and where it fits in the market.

That changing business landscape will be the focus of the sixth annual AM Investment Strategies, a free one-hour online roundtable taking place November 5, just ahead of Formnext 2026.

Hosted by Additive Manufacturing Research and Cantor Fitzgerald, the event will bring together market analysts and some of the industry’s biggest CEOs to discuss the business environment and competitive landscape for 3D printing.

And the lineup is still growing. Carbon CEO Phil DeSimone has just joined the panel, alongside Stratasys CEO Yoav Zeif, Nikon SLM Solutions CEO Sam O’Leary, Cantor Fitzgerald Managing Director Troy Jensen, and Additive Manufacturing Research Executive Vice President Scott Dunham.

A Different AM Market

The timing is interesting. The 3D printing industry has changed a lot over the past several years. The market has seen major investments, public listings, mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, and companies that failed to deliver on earlier expectations. At the same time, AM itself has continued to move forward. Aerospace and defense companies are using the technology for production. Medical and dental applications continue to expand. Consumer 3D printing has also grown into a very different business from the one that existed just a few years ago.

Even with that growth, the picture has become more complex. Different parts of the AM industry are moving at different speeds, and companies are competing to turn demand into sustainable businesses.

AM Research has been tracking those changes closely. In its latest quarterly report, released in September, the firm estimated that the global AM market grew 12% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, reaching roughly $4.5 billion. Its data covers metal and polymer AM systems, materials, and services, and tracks the market by company, technology, geography, and application.

Applications provide another way to look at the market. AM Research’s AM Applications Analysis: Parts Produced 2025–2034 tracks the production and estimated value of metal and polymer AM parts across eight major industries, including prototypes, tooling, and end-use parts. Instead of looking only at sales of machines and materials, the research looks at what companies are actually making with the technology.

That broader look at the industry also fits with past editions of AM Investment Strategies. Previous editions have looked at the state of the industry, market growth and expectations, investment, M&A, public companies, and the changing competitive landscape in AM. The event also takes place just before Formnext, giving panelists a chance to look at where the industry stands before one of its biggest annual gatherings.