“Quality, transparency, relevancy, and accessibility are some of the criteria that have been used to develop Wohlers Report 2025,” said Mahdi Jamshid, Ph.D., director of market intelligence at Wohlers Associates. This focus on disciplined intelligence coincides with a critical point in the development of additive manufacturing, as the industry’s growth pattern seems to be gaining momentum but at the same time increasingly hard to follow.
For almost four decades, Wohlers Associates, now fueled by ASTM International, has been the go-to resource for AM consulting and analysis. The annual publication of the Wohlers Report has been recognized as the source that must be understood by everyone interested in the AM industry. In the 2025 report produced after consulting over 230 industry experts on six continents, the overall AM industry recorded growth of 9.1% at 21.9 billion dollars. While Asia and China were largely responsible for this growth, the AM industry showed only gains in the Americas and moderate gains within the EMEA region. However, system manufacturing declined. The greatest gains were reported within materials, software, and service delivery, indicating that the industry was moving along the path that links AM directly to production readiness.
“The Wohlers Report” emphasizes the importance of geographic and industry diversification, which has been visible in the industry’s growth patterns. Wohlers Associates is working to address this challenge through its upcoming webinar, “Additive Manufacturing: Analysis. Trends. Forecasts.”, to be held on January 14 at 12 PM ET, in which attendees will get expert insights on what’s to come in 2026 and beyond.
Industry-wide data emphasizes the importance of these kinds of know-how. The worldwide 3D printing industry, at just over $22.14 billion in 2023, is forecast to nearly tripple by 2026 to around $44.5 billion. Metal AM applications are predicted to expand at over 25% a year, in areas like aerospace, automobiles, and the energy industry. Also in evidence is a move away from prototyping towards high-volume production with increasing adoption of a series of printers in industry. It was reported by one in the Protolabs Network, Robin Brockötter, that “There’s definitely a trend towards full-scale production. That’s obviously facilitated by automation and process control through AI as well as developments in post-processing like vapor smoothing.”
Materials innovation presents a highly important development driver. New materials such as new alloys, high-performance polymers, and composites are already making possible the use of parts possessing greatly enhanced characteristics. It also presents a growing need for sustainability, which manifests through the use of recycled powder materials, bio-based filament materials, and high reusability feedstock. According to HP’s François Minec, the applicable innovations in material development would rather bring out more disruption in many industry domains, including the health industry.
Automation and AI are driving a revolution in AM production workflows, turning them into a complete “digital thread.” In-process monitoring, artificial intelligence-driven anomaly detection, and robotics are allowing manufacturers to reduce variability and accelerate their design-to-production cycle time. As a representative from DIVE, a company specializing in AM, indicated during a presentation, more intelligent systems will allow users to better analyze problems on their own and customize a process, thus enhancing scalability.
Standards remain the foundation of the industrialisation of AM. ASTM Committee F42, working in conjunction with ISO/TC 261, presses onward with the development of consensus documents that address general, category-oriented, and application-oriented matters. Carl Dekker, the Committee F42 chair, explained the benefits of standardisation: “The collective approach could see an even greater benefit, such as standardized training of the workforce and the ability to concentrate on quality improvement.” For the decision-maker, the process of active participation in the standard development allows for the greatly valued benefit of setting the tone for the advancement of qualification for market entry. The competitive arena is also undergoing changes.
It is observed that the consolidation of companies within the AM market is generating fewer but stronger competitors, while regional dynamics, such as the adoption of AM by the Chinese industry, is impacting the global market share. Chinese companies such as BLT and Eplus3D are experiencing revenue growth of close to 60% annually, driven by both domestic and exporting capacities.
Additive manufacturing (AM) experts in the manufacturing industry, engineers, and strategists, in fact, are presented with one message: “The simple truth is even for AM growth is now contingent on understanding materials, automation, standards, and positioning, not just enthusiasm, hard work, or assumptions.” A Webinar, being hosted by Wohlers Associates, is an opportune time to tap into intelligence in order to capitalize on developments in the evolving additive manufacturing industry in 2026.