Report Estimates Additive Fabrication Market at $1.1 Billion
18 Jun, 2008By 2012 annual worldwide sales of AF products and services are expected to reach $2.3 billion.
The market for additive fabrication (AF) products and services globally grew 16% to an estimated $1.141 billion in 2007, according to Wohlers Report 2008, a 240-page global study that focuses on the advances in additive fabrication worldwide. This figure is up from an estimated $983.7 million generated in 2006. Reaching the $1 billion mark is a first for this industry.
Additive fabrication significantly reduces labor costs, making it much easier for organizations in the West to compete with companies in countries where labor rates are low, the report states. This will become especially important as companies apply AF technology to the manufacture of products.
Increasingly, companies are using AF systems for custom and replacement part manufacturing, special edition products, short-run production, and even series production. They are also being used to produce manufacturing aids, such as jigs, fixtures, and assembly guides, which are used to make products.
The industry is expected to grow substantially over the next several years. By 2012, Wohlers estimates, annual sales of AF products and services will reach $2.3 billion worldwide, with unit sales reaching 12,000 systems for the year. By 2015, the company believes the industry will grow to an estimated $3.5 billion for the year, with unit sales reaching 20,000 systems.
A detailed overview of the report and additional information on the market and industry are available at Wohlers Associates' Web site.
