Metal AM installed base 2020 and 2025 – supplier vs. buyer
More than 10,000 installed machines in 2019
At the end of 2020, a total of 12,320 metal Additive Manufacturing systems were installed worldwide. The suppliers project an annual growth of installed machines of 22.4 % per year and expect close to 34,000 units by 2025, with 7,328 sold machines in 2025 alone. The system suppliers’ expectations regarding the development of the installed base dropped from a CAGR of 26.0 % in 2019 to 22.4 % in 2020. AMPOWER found that especially the established Powder Bed Fusion suppliers curbed their previously high outlook significantly.
The buyers estimate an annual growth rate of 19.9 % of installed machines which is a slight increase from the previous year, thus a more positive outlook. For 2025, the buyers’ minimal and maximal projection for the installed base of metal AM systems is between 30,217 and 31,700. The specific buyers’ outlook on how many machines will be acquired in the future is often highly dependent on certain internal AM research and development projects. The success or failure of such a project determines the extent of the future implementation of the technology. Most of the installed machines continue to be LB-PBF systems provided by over 60 different system suppliers.
The annual sales of AM printers dropped to 1,991 units in 2020, a marginal decrease from 1,999 units in 2019 and at a similar level of 1,976 units in 2018. After the start of the consolidation phase in 2019, the economic impact of COVID-19 increased the reservation on the user side to invest in new machines and led to a halt of many sales projects. While some purchases were postponed until budgets are available again, others were permanently cancelled. Some system vendors reported a drop of machine sales by more than 50 % compared to the previous year, while other established system suppliers were able to increase their sales output.
In 2025, the system suppliers foretell annual sales of 7,328 units, which represents a CAGR of 29.9 %. The system supplier expectations exceed the buyer predictions as they plan to acquire only about 5,000 units in 2025. This results in a gap of about 2,000 machines between the predictions of suppliers and buyers in the year of 2025. Like the previous year, the data indicates an overestimation of the sales targets by the system suppliers. Furthermore, the machine supplier will continue to experience strong competition from direct competitors as well as alternative AM technologies despite the positive outlook and strong growth expectations from the buyers.