Military 3D Printing Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Offerings (Material, Printer, Software, Service), By Application (Tooling, Functional Part Manufacturing, Prototyping), By Platform (Land, Naval, Airborne, Space), By Process (Powder Bed Fusion, Vat Photopolymerisation, Material Extrusion, Direct Energy Deposition), By Technology (Fuse Deposition Modeling, Stereolithography, Direct Metal Laser Sintering, Selective Laser Sintering) And Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

The military 3D printing market is witnessing fast-paced growth during the forecast period. The market growth is attributed to the defense industries' demand for lightweight components, parts, & prototypes and the need for enhanced raw materials utilization. Also, the factors such as huge investments of governmental defense bodies in 3D printing, the need for procurement cost reduction, need for the reduced timeline for the critical military equipment supply have driven the market growth of the military 3D printing market. For instance, in 2019, the adoption of an advanced manufacturing policy by The U.S. Army Secretary looks into revolutionizing the defense equipment's manufacturing and the supply chain enhancement in the battlefield and at the maintenance depots. The policy paved the way for establishing the Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence at Illinois-based Rock Island Arsenal. The U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers has purchased the Z810 3D printer from Z Corporation, enabling them to produce 3D printed solid models of any geographical location worldwide through digital geospatial information quickly, inexpensively, and easily.

3D printing is the process of customized fabrication of the metallic or nonmetallic materials into parts, prototypes, or functional parts by utilizing the digital 3D model or a computer-aided design (CAD) digital model with high resolution & precision by extruding or adding a series of material layers on line, point or planar surfaces. Military 3D printing encompasses various technologies such as fused deposition modeling, electron beam melting, and portable 3D printing system, which construct customized weapons with minimal manufacturing damages are expected to fuel the market growth.

Market Segmentation:

Based on offerings, the military 3D printing market is segmented into material, printer, software, and service. The printer segment is anticipated to dominate the military 3D printing market during the forecast period attributed to the rise in demand for 3D printed prototypes or components from defense industries' various O.E.M.s. The market is classified into tooling, functional part manufacturing, prototyping, and others by application. The market is categorized into land, naval, airborne, space by the platform. The airborne segment is anticipated to grow with the highest growth owing to increased demand for durable & lightweight components of drones & aircraft. By process, the market is divided into powder bed fusion, vat photopolymerization, material extrusion, direct energy deposition, binder jetting, sheet lamination, and material jetting. The direct energy deposition segment is expected to witness growth due to increased demand escalation for complex operational and small-to-medium-sized components.  The market is classified into fuse deposition modeling, stereolithography, direct metal laser sintering, selective laser sintering, inkjet printing, poly-jet printing, laser metal deposition, electron beam melting, laminated object manufacturing, digital light processing based on technology. Based on region/geography, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America.

Key Players Covered:

The major companies included in the global military 3D printing market report are Norsk Titanium AS (Norway), American Elements Corporation (the U.S.), 3D Systems Inc. (the U.S.), Artec Europe (Luxembourg), The ExOne Company (the U.S.), Arcam AB (Sweden), E.O.S. GmbH (Germany), Cimetrix Solutions Inc. (Canada), MarkForged Inc. (the U.S.), S.M.G. 3D (The Stanford Marsh Group) (the U.K.), Engineering & Manufacturing Services Inc. (the U.S.), 3T Additive Manufacturing Ltd. (the U.K.), Optomec Inc. (the U.S.), Stratasys Ltd. (Israel), and among others.

Key Insights

• Number of 3D printed defense arms & aircrafts delivered during 2016-2020


• Adoption of 3D Printing by platform


• Impact of COVID-19 on the military 3D printing industry


• Government defense spending by country

Regional Analysis:

The military 3D printing market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East & Africa, and South America. North America accounted for a large market share in the base year attributed to increased government defense bodies' investments in the 3D printing technology and rapid adoption rate in the defense applications by regional armed forces, the 3D printing technology manufacturers' presence. The increment in the adoption of 3D printing technology by the defense industry's various O.E.M.s is anticipated to drive the market growth in the estimated period.

The European market registered to be the second-largest market share attributed to the adoption of 3D printing technology by major countries such as the U.K., France, and Germany and 3D printing technology manufacturers. The increased applicability of 3D printing technology in various industries across the region is anticipated to fuel market growth.

The Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing market in the military 3D printing market owing to the increased adoption of 3D printing technology in defense applications in the countries such as China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, India. The market expansion of the existing key market players in the military 3D printing market can accelerate the market growth during the forecasted period. For instance, in April 2020, the Indian Navy has signed a partnership agreement with think3D (T3D Labs Private Limited) for assistance in spare parts production through additive manufacturing for both on-shore & off-shore scenarios.

The growing focus on adopting 3D printing technology and its applicability worldwide is expected to witness the market size expansion in Latin America and the Middle East & Africa, respectively, during a forecast period.

Segmentation

Military 3D Printing Market Industry Developments

• In February 2021, the ExOne Company, an additive manufacturing company has been awarded a defense contract worth USD 1.6 million by U.S. Department of Defense for the development of a self-contained, fully functioning 3D printing factory in the 12-meter long shipping container. This 3D printing factory in a shipping container should be easy for the deployment via land, sea or air on the battlefield to fulfil the need for critical military equipment supply through its fast-paced manufacturing capabilities.


• In March 2019, ARC Group Worldwide Inc.’s 3D Material Technologies has been acquired by Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc., which provides 3D printing services for industrial, medical, defense, and aerospace markets. The acquisition of 3D printing service providers like these by defense market players is expected to drive the market growth.


• In January 2021, Naval Group, a French naval defense contractor has manufactured through its self-developed DED-based process (metal wire fusion) an entirely 3D printed properller for a French Navy ship named Andromede (a Tripartite-class minehunter).