contributions of 57 co-authors from 21 countries. Along with noting additive manufacturing’s CAGR of 29.4% last year, the report states the CAGR for industry’s 24-year history is 26.4%, and the AM industry is expected to continue strong double- digit growth over the next several years. By 2015, Wohlers Associates believes that the sale of AM products and services will reach $3.7 billion worldwide, and by 2019, surpass the $6.5 billion mark.
Additive manufacturing is the process of joining materi- als to make objects from 3-D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methodolo- gies. Additive manufacturing is used to build physical models, prototypes, patterns, tooling components, and production parts in plastic, metal, and composite materials. AM systems use thin, horizontal cross sections from CAD models, 3-D scanning systems, medical scanners, and video games to produce parts that can be difficult or impossible to produce any other way.
“No other organization has access to this depth of data and statistics,” says Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates and a principal author of the new report. The in- formation is used to track industry growth, provide views and perspective, uncover trends, and offer insight into the future of additive manufacturing. Major new parts on applications, materials and processes, and front- and back-end consider- ations were added. The final part of the report concludes with 19 trends that are expected to shape the future of the technol- ogy and industry.
The study covers all aspects of additive manufacturing, including its history, applications, processes, manufacturers, and materials. It documents developments in the past year, covers R&D and collaboration activities in government, aca- demia and industry, and summarizes the state of the industry in countries around the world. It also tracks the extraordinary growth of personal 3-D printers, machines priced under $5000, with the majority in the $1000–$2000 range. A free
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