3D Hubs Releases June 3D Printing Trends Report with a New Category & Kossel XL Shaking Up the Charts

It’s time for the monthly heads up from 3D Hubs, as they release 3D Printing Trends June 2015. Highlighting these trends is always something we look forward to as a point of interest, taking time to focus on current trends and how they are changing. It’s also important to know whether or not there are newcomers on the scene–as well as seeing what’s going on with 3D printing leaders who tend to trend in and out over time with a fluid base of products, new releases, and never-ending innovation.

What’s also interesting is to see how the number of 3D Hubs grows each month, increasing by 1,000 printers to a total of 17,000 as of June–in over 150 countries. That’s a lot of 3D prints being made, in many different languages and cultures.

Passing through the hectic new year and into the hustle and bustle of spring, as we make our way into the languor of summer, we see a number of changes, from the addition of a new category in the report, ‘Most Popular Content Platforms,’ to a major newcomer reigning as number one in the desktop category. The energy is pumping, and the industry is continually growing.

3D Hubs has added a new category which for us falls into the “why didn’t we see this sooner” realm. Regarding the new ‘Most Popular Content Platform’, the entity topping the chart for June is Thingiverse, at 56%. What is surprising is that Google came second, but that’s clearly explained as they are being used to search for 3D designs and downloads. Next came Reddit, and behind that–Instructables.

What’s really shaking up the crowd this month though is newcomer Kossel XL, achieving the top spot in the highest rated desktop printers category. This desktop 3D printer has skyrocketed in popularity, and so much so that the Builda3Dprinter team has the enviable problem of scrambling to keep up with the number of orders that keep coming in for their kits. Indicating the users are giving the major thumbs up to Delta-style 3D printers, the DeltaWASP climbed up two spots to take its new place in second. While the Kossel XL is a kit for assembly, the DeltaWASP arrives turnkey. There are also two other 3D printer kits in the top ten, notably–Belgium’s Velleman K8400 with dual extruder support, as well as the Kossel Mini.

The Zortrax M200 held onto the third spot and two others shifted with the Witbox and the Solidoodle 4 making their way into the top ten list, interestingly.  Stratasys and 3D Systems rule the roost for industrial printers, with the Objet Alaris30 rising up, as well as the ZPrinter 650 claiming 9^th.

The Trending Printers list is a great way to get insight into the industry, and this month’s list does not disappoint, with a new product offering at the top.

“Portugal has just turned into rocket mode as the BEETHEFIRST grew a staggering 160% in one month,” states 3D Hubs.

Behind BEETHEFIRST, who is certainly currently living up to their name, comes the Prusa i3 Hephestos who climbed up just a little bit to grab onto the silver medal of honor. There is only one other new entry in this category, and that’s the Airwolf HD2X, at number nine, popular with 3D printing operators in the market for more versatility and larger prototyping, featuring a 28 x 20 x 30 cm print volume and dual extruders.

The highly sophisticated cities of the U.S. and Europe are neck in neck when it comes to who is doing the most printing where. New York, no surprise, is still number one, with The Big Apple boasting 271 hubs, with Milan and L.A. duking it out at a respective–and respectable–218 and 216 hubs. Chicago, also has experienced movement, hitting the 7^th spot, with nearly 20 percent growth.

In Printer Model Distribution, not much news to report except that the Ultimaker 2 does continue leading as number one, and there has been one change with the Zortrax M200 entering the top ten. In Printer Manufacturing, RepRap remained in the top slot.

The Popular Printers by Region experienced a bit of shifting. For North America, the MakerBot Replicator 2 is on top, while second and third reversed positions, with the Prusa i3 taking over silver, and the Replicator 2x taking bronze. In South America, some 3D printers did switch positions with the MakerBot Replicator 2 moving to number four and the MakerBot Replicator 2X switching positions on the 2nd and 4th spot, while the Ultimaker 2 entered position five.

Also of great note is that the average 3D printed order value increased by $7.60. Demand for prototyping went up; gadgets went down. Also interesting as a trend was that 3D prints in white went up, while green (seems understandable) fell.

Which of these trends do you find most interesting? Discuss the June 3D Hubs Trends Report forum over at 3DBP.com.