Gartner Research

3D Printer Market Survey Reveals Enterprise Demand Drivers for Technology, Printer and Vendor Decision Making

Published: 11 November 2014

Summary

The 3D printer market continues to grow as businesses use 3D printing to innovate new products and improve manufacturing processes. Gartner's worldwide market survey highlights the key drivers for buyers considering the various 3D technologies, printers and providers.

Included in Full Research

  • Impacts
  • The key drivers of a typical enterprise's selection of a 3D printer are its finished-piece quality, price and production speed, requiring a clear understanding of the types of items that will be produced
  • The primary reason buyers delay an investment in 3D printing is the high cost of printer acquisition and startup, making tools that accurately compare existing manufacturing costs to 3D printing manufacturing costs critical elements of providers' marketing programs
    • Brands and 3DP
    • 3D Print Volume
    • Service Bureaus and 3DP
  • While the major motivations for buyers are prototyping and product innovation and development, they are also using 3D printers in manufacturing applications
  • CMOs must ensure go-to-market messaging is targeted at the most-common decision makers for an organization's 3D print strategy, the R&D or engineering, to avoid potentially confusing marketing efforts

Analysts:

Zalak Shah,  Pete Basiliere

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