Content |
Main article: 3D printing in medicine
2024: The volume of the global market for medical products created on 3D printers grew by 18% over the year and reached $4.74 billion
At the end of 2024, the costs in the global market for medical devices made by 3D printing amounted to $4.74 billion. For comparison, a year earlier, the volume of this sector was estimated at $4.02 billion. Thus, an increase of about 18% was recorded, as stated in a study by Towards Healthcare, the results of which TAdviser got acquainted with in early September 2025.
Additive technologies are increasingly being used to create both personalized medical tools and implants and prostheses. Analysts note that with the advent of 3D printing technology, the healthcare sector has undergone revolutionary changes. Traditional manufacturing of medical devices involves a number of expensive and lengthy processes, which increases the total cost of the final products. On the other hand, 3D printing is an efficient and cost-effective alternative that allows the manufacture of certain products directly on the territory of a medical institution using digital technologies. This eliminates a number of labor-intensive steps and complex processes characteristic of traditional production. In addition, 3D printing eliminates the need for extensive delivery and warehousing networks.
.jpg)
One of the main drivers of the industry, the authors of the study call the growth in demand for personalized medicine. Individually manufactured prostheses and implants are often expensive and only available to patients from developed countries. 3D printing overcomes these limitations. Additive technologies make it possible to create individual products that correspond to the anatomical features and needs of a particular patient. This improves treatment outcomes, reduces the risk of complications and accelerates rehabilitation.
Medical devices printed on are 3D printer usually manufactured in limited batches and can be continuously modified to reduce cost and improve performance. The market has a positive impact: artificial intelligence neural networks make it possible to speed up design development and reduce the number of errors associated with the human factor. Predictive AI-based analytics help identify potential errors, allowing manufacturers to make real-time decisions. AI also improves the quality of 3D printing, minimizing waste. Overall, AI accelerates the manufacturing process, thereby reducing time to market for medical devices.
Another stimulating factor is technological advances. Manufacturers of 3D printing equipment are constantly improving the characteristics of their devices and expanding their functionality.
In terms of application, in 2024, the implants segment led the global market for medical devices manufactured on a 3D printer. For components, the largest revenue came from the materials sector. Geographically, North America dominates, but the Asia-Pacific region shows the highest growth rate. Globally, significant industry players are named:
- 3T RPD;
- Renishaw;
- Concept Laser GmbH;
- General Electric;
- Arcam AB;
- EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems;
- Materialise;
- Envisiontec;
- 3D Systems;
- Stratasys;
- Cyfuse Biomedical K.K.;
- Organovo Holdings.
In 2025, the market size is expected to reach $5.59 billion. Towards Healthcare analysts believe that in the future, the CAGR will be 17.94%. Thus, by 2034, costs could increase to $24.69 billion[1]
2023: Global 3D Printer Medical Products Market Size Reaches $2.1 Billion for the Year
At the end of 2023, the global market for medical devices created by 3D printing amounted to approximately $2.1 billion. In the future, steady growth is expected in this area, as stated in a study by BCC Research, the results of which were published in mid-July 2024.
It is noted that 3D printing technology has revolutionized the healthcare sector, significantly affecting the production speed and availability of medical devices. 3D printing can create personalized devices tailored to the individual needs of patients, such as implants and prostheses. Customized components improve treatment outcomes and improve patient comfort. In the dental industry, 3D printing allows you to quickly and accurately manufacture crowns, bridges and dentures.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, 3D printing technologies played a key role in solving production and supply problems. 3D printing provides an efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional manufacturing methods in which medical devices are manufactured directly using digital models. This eliminates a number of time-consuming steps and complex processes. Therefore, the demand for 3D printing systems in the field of health care is constantly growing. Among the key market players are named 3D Systems, Carbon, Cellink, Fabrx, Formlabs, GE Aerospace, HP Development, Materialise, Prodways Group, Proto Labs, Regenhu, Renishaw, Stratasys, etc.
Analysts at BCC Research believe that the market for medical devices created on 3D printers will continue to develop rapidly. The CAGR (compound percentage CAGR) from 2024 to 2029 is expected to be 14.7%. As a result, the industry will reach $4.5 billion by the end of the period under review[2]
2016: Market Size of $660 Million
In September 2017, Gartner's data on the 3D printing market in medicine was released. Most often, dental products are created on 3D printers.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing a Gartner study, in 2016, global spending on medical products obtained using volumetric printing reached $660 million. Approximately 34% of this amount came from dental implants.
Sales of the remaining 3D-printed implants accounted for 19.1% of the total volume. The third most popular category was endoprosthetics (13.2%). In addition, as can be seen in the diagram above, 3D printing creates auditory prostheses (8.7%), surgical instruments (8.3%), medical components (6.3%), drugs (4.3%) and tissue culture technologies (2.3%).
Anurag Gupta, vice president of research at Gartner, says 3D printing in healthcare "could have a revolutionary impact on the Internet and cloud computing a few years ago."
One of the main problems on the way of mass introduction of such technologies is the high cost of printing equipment - from 10 to 400 thousand dollars. In addition, owners of 3D printers have to incur "hidden costs," says Jimmy Beacham, head of 3D printing at GE Healthcare. The fact is that engineers have to convert digital images received from MRI, CT or ultrasound scanners into data that can be used to create a volume model.
The WSJ article also cites another problem - 3D printing takes a long time. For example, Mayo Clinic specialists took 60 hours to create a 3D model of a pelvis with a patient's tumor.[3]
See also
- 3D Printers (Global Market)
- 3D Printing Projects
- AMT-Spetsavia
- Apis Cor
- Evolution of additive manufacturing technologies
Notes
| The site content is translated by machine translation software powered by PROMT. The machine-translated articles are not always perfect and may contain errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. Read original article If you find inaccuracies or errors in the results of machine translation, please write to editor@tadviser.ru. We will make every effort to correct them as soon as possible. |