Let us know about the top 5 digital manufacturing companies in the world in terms of market size.
1. 3D Systems: Charles W. Hull (Chuck Hull), co-founded 3D systems in 1986. He is also the inventor of stereolithography or 3D printing. Hull coined the term stereolithography in his patent application in 1984. He got his patent in 1986 and started the first 3Dprinting company in the world “3D systems”. 3D systems offer a variety of products and services. They engineer, manufacture, sell 3D printers, 3D printing materials, 3D scanners and offer 3D printing services. They also create product concept models, precision and functional prototypes, master patterns for tooling, as well as production parts for direct digital manufacturing. It is the largest company in the world with a market cap of $4bn.
2. Protolabs: Protolabs is the world’s fastest digital manufacturing company. It is the second-largest in terms of market size. It has a market cap of $3.78 bn. The company produces custom parts and assemblies with automated 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and injection molding processes. The technology-enabled company can produce as fast as 1 day. Protolabs was founded in 1999 with an intention to fasten the traditional manufacturing process by introducing complex software which communicated with mills and presses, thus automating the process and radically reducing the time to manufacture injection-molded plastic prototype parts. It introduced a 3D printing service in its production to allow even easier and faster production. It is now the fastest manufacturer of custom prototypes and on-demand production parts with manufacturing facilities in five countries.
3. Materialise NV: Materialise was founded in 1990 with a goal to enable new uses for the extraordinary potential that 3D printing offers. They also create a range of software solutions and 3D printing services. Their services are used in industries such as healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design, and consumer goods to build innovative 3D printing applications. Materialise manufacturing provides rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing services, working closely with customers through co-creation to construct meaningful applications of 3D printing together. They also have an online ordering platform Materialise OnSite which provides easy access to one of the largest 3D printing facilities in the world. Materialise software provides a platform of high-quality software tools which enable customers to manage and control their 3D printing process more efficiently. It is the third-largest 3D printing company in terms of the market cap which is $2bn.
4. Stratasys Ltd: Stratasys was founded by S. Scott Crump and his wife Lisa Crump in 1989. It is incorporated in Israel. Stratasys systems are used by engineers to model complex geometries in a wide range of thermoplastic materials which include ABS, polyphenylsulfone (PPSF), polycarbonate (PC), and polyetherimide. Stratasys manufactures 3D printers and 3D production systems for office-based rapid prototyping and direct digital manufacturing solutions. They claim to have perfected three of the main 3D printing technologies which include FDM, PolyJet, and stereolithography. It is also one of the largest companies of 3D printing with a market cap of $1.70bn.
5. ExOne: ExOne was started as a department in Extrude Hone to develop 3D metal printers. It was started in 1995 with the development of “ProMetal”. The next year, they obtained an exclusive license to commercially develop an inkjet 3D printing process for use with metal, ceramic, and sand materials. They have been the global leader in industrial 3D printing systems using binder jetting technology for more than 20 years. Companies in a wide variety of industries from aerospace and automotive to energy and defence use ExOne 3D printers. The company specializes in the development and manufacture of printing systems based on binder jetting technology. It has a market cap of $751mn, which makes it one of the largest companies in the world.
These are the top 5 digital manufacturing companies in the world that dominate the 3D Printing market.
Learn more about 3D printing, enroll in the 3D Printing Course by Labdox.