The 3D printer market in Italy

A 3D printer is a machine that allows real three-dimensional objects to be designed from a file created with 3D design software. The objects created can be models, parts, scale models or prototypes. 3D printers can be industrial or clerical depending on their use. The 3D printer market includes the activities of selling 3D machines and solutions, selling printed products through specialized machines to customers who wish to create product prototypes, and printing services. The 3D printer market can be segmented by component perspective (hardware, software, and services), printer type (desktop and industrial), technology, material perspective (polymer, metal, and ceramic), and geographic area.

In Italy, 3D printing has become a widely accepted technical standard and tool for manufacturing companies. The sectors driving the most demand for 3D printers are optics, electronics, electromedical (i.e., concerning medical devices) and watchmaking. Among the most common applications where 3D printing is used in the business process, about 76 percent of manufacturers use it mainly for prototype development and are very satisfied with it. This is followed by companies that use 3D printing for visual modeling, which are also satisfied with the potential of this molding technique. However, 3D printing is also used for the production of small series, customized products and parts, and for the manufacture of special products such as prosthetics, implants and components.

In addition, a large number of companies, more than 41 percent, plan to invest more in 3D printing and expand the use of this technology within their organization. Many see this opportunity as a way to make up for what they lost in the Covid-19 crisis by leveraging savings-in terms of money-and the ability to expand their offerings. Although this entails, at least initially, an investment in purchasing the necessary tools, the resulting savings and profitability remain high. Overall, nearly 45 percent of Italian manufacturers see in-house production as an effective way to overcome supply chain delays or supply shortages.