Wohlers Reports Track Growth, Value of Additive Manufacturing

The 28th annual edition of the Wohlers Report, the industry-leading study on the state of the additive manufacturing (AM) industry, indicates the sector continued to grow strongly in 2022, posting revenue growth worldwide of 18.3 percent. This dipped slightly from the 19.5 percent growth registered in 2021, but still reflects the market’s strength and recovery from the pandemic.  

This year’s 404-page report has contributions from 97 experts in 35 countries and includes expanded coverage of Argentina, the Czech Republic and Greece.

The report also explores, for the first time, such topics as:  

• Recycling and the circular economy
• Point-of-care AM in healthcare
• Opportunities and challenges associated with metal binder jetting

• Attracting a younger workforce to AM
• An expanded discussion of investments and startups

Wohlers, of Fort Collins, Colo., now part of ASTM International, says 412 companies are represented in the report. It cites an expanded section offering insights on topics such as automated production, workforce development, emerging applications, end-use parts and the future of AM. Wohlers sourced input from 119 service providers, 128 manufacturers of AM systems and 28 producers of third-party materials.  

Terry Wohlers, head of advisory services and business intelligence, says: “The AM industry is continuing to expand into end-use production applications. This trend will grow as standards are further developed and adopted. AM is delivering larger and more critical parts across multiple industry sectors.”  

A digital copy of the report costs $750 and can be purchased here. 

Separately, Wohlers also published two more narrowly focused reports in recent months. One, “Wohlers Specialty Report on Construction,” covers nearly 200 players in the additive construction (AC) sector. The study looks at geographic trends, applications and materials, and recent technical advances. Stephan Mansour, a Wohlers consultant and principal author of the 47-page report, says it is geared toward design and building professionals in the construction industry looking to leverage AC. It is available for $1,750 at wohlersassociates.com/construction2022.  

Wohlers also published a specialty report called “Post Processing: Final Steps of AM Part Production.” That 63-page study updates the firm’s 2021 report on the topic but includes “sections detailing the latest important developments in post-processing and illuminating many of the key players in the industry.” It looks at the post-processing methods for major AM processes, such as powder bed fusion, material extrusion and vat photopolymerization. The report is available at http://www.wohlersassociates.com/product/postprocessing2023 for $695.