Worldwide sales of 3D Printing machines which produce metal parts were up +45% in Q3 2015 compared to the same period one year ago despite the woes in the overall Industrial/Professional 3D Printer market, according to figures released today by IT Market research company CONTEXT. Preliminary findings also show that shipments of metal 3D Printers alone have grown 51% so far in 2015 compared to the same period last year.

While sales of metal 3D printers accounted for only 7% of the global 2,743 Industrial/Professional printer unit volume shipments in Q3, revenues from metal 3D Printers took 31% of the overall category total, up from 22% in Q3'14.

Market leaders EOS, Concept Laser, 3D Systems, Optomec and SLM Solutions all showed year-on-year increases in metal 3D Printer shipments. While North America remains the world's largest region for 3D Printing with 44% of Industrial/Printers shipped in Q3'15 going into this region, Western Europe leads in consumption of metal-based systems. More than 56% of all metal systems shipped in Q3'15 were shipped into this region in the period predominately by Western European companies due to the heavy influence of Western European, and in particular, German companies' focus on developing and refining metal 3D Printing.

"The trend of using 3D Printing for finished goods, direct part production is most evident in the metal side of the industry," noted Chris Connery VP for Global Analysis at CONTEXT. "As the 3D Printing industry continues to evolve away from just leveraging the technology for rapid prototyping, more and more metal machines are finding homes alongside traditional machines on factory floors."

The Aerospace, Automotive and Medical markets remain leading industries for metal 3D Printing, leveraging the power of Additive Manufacturing for its ability to offer mass-customization and/or detailed, low-volume part production previously not reproducible via traditional manufacturing techniques, with companies like GE, Boeing and Airbus leading the way.

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