London, 9 October 2025 – The global 3D
  printer market continued to show starkly divergent trends in the
  second quarter of 2025, according to the latest analysis by global
  market intelligence firm CONTEXT. The consumer-centric Entry-level
  market continues to excel while the high-end of the industry remains
  stuck in slowdown mode as downstream capital spending stalls and
  consolidation continues.
     The trend of disparate market
  performance continued into the second quarter. Weak demand from
  tariff-paralysis and high interest rates made for difficult market
  conditions in the Industrial and Midrange segments. In contrast, the
  Entry-level space continued to thrive, with key players even making
  moves to go public, highlighting the segment's sustained momentum.
     Overall aggregate hardware system
  revenues remained flat year-on-year (YoY). A +21% surge in revenues
  from Entry-level printers, driven by strong shipments from vendors
  like Bambu Lab, was offset by significant downturns in all other price
  categories. Revenues from Professional systems fell by -29%, while
  Midrange and Industrial revenues dropped by -11% and -14% respectively.
         
 
     Industrial and Midrange Systems
     High interest rates and the fallout
  from widespread company consolidation created another challenging
  quarter for the high-end of the market. Global Industrial 3D printer
  shipments fell markedly in Q2 2025. This weakness was compounded by
  business distractions from bankruptcies, such as that of Desktop
  Metal, and complex mergers; the newly combined Nano Dimension
  (including Markforged and Desktop Metal for the period) saw its
  aggregate shipments of the three collective companies fall
  precipitously from a year ago. However, there were bright spots: HP
  saw impressive shipment growth in the quarter, largely driven by its
  unique upgrade strategy, and Stratasys posted nice growth as well. In
  the crucial metal PBF segment, China's Eplus3D took the top spot for
  units shipped and, alongside Velo3D saw YoY unit shipment growth,
  while stalwarts EOS and Nikon remained revenue leaders despite both
  seeing marginal unit shipment declines from a year ago.
     The Midrange category saw a similar
  YoY shipment decline to the Industrial price-class. The downturn was
  most pronounced for Western vendors, including 3D Systems (which
  continues to get smaller each period) and Stratasys, while some
  Chinese vendors like UnionTech saw shipment growth fuelled by domestic
  demand. Flashforge, a standout performer on a trailing-twelve-month
  basis, saw a small quarterly dip in shipments in Q2 2025.
     Professional Printers
     The significant YoY drop in
  shipments   of Professional printers was driven entirely by the
  collapse of the   material extrusion (FDM/FFF) category, where
  shipments cratered. This   segment, once the dominant force in the
  professional space, has been   significantly impacted by the rise of
  capable, lower-priced   Entry-level machines. In contrast, vat
  photopolymerization shipments   in this category held steady, as
  vendors like Formlabs continued the   successful refresh of key
  product lines. 
     Entry-Level Printers
     The Entry-level category was again
  the   standout performer, again seeing strong YoY shipment growth.
  This   growth was driven by continued strong demand for products from
  brands   like Bambu Lab, which not only saw its shipments rise again,
  but also   introduced new products. The quarter was also notable for
  the news   that Creality, a long-time leader in the space, issued
  plans to go   public. While Creality saw a shipment decline as it
  realigns its   reporting for its IPO, the move signals the growing
  maturity and   financial significance of the consumer market. The
  segment also saw   record-breaking crowdfunding success for
  Snapmaker’s new multicolour   FDM printer, demonstrating robust
  consumer enthusiasm.
         
 
     Outlook
     While the Entry-level segment
  remains   strong, persistent headwinds from high interest rates,
  tariffs, and   inflation are expected to continue suppressing capital
  expenditures   for high-end systems for the remainder of 2025. In a
  welcome move for   the industry, the US Federal Reserve cut interest
  rates in September   2025, with more cuts anticipated before year-end.
  However, it is   expected that it will take several such cuts before
  capital spending   is fully restimulated.
     While many OEMs continue to report
  strong end-market engagement and pent-up demand, the recovery for the
  Industrial segment now looks to be pushed out. We don’t project a
  significant rebound to begin until 2026, when lower interest rates are
  expected to finally unlock renewed investment in capital equipment.
  Regional on-shoring initiatives and the need to overcome supply chain
  disruptions still present major opportunities for agile additive
  manufacturing once business conditions improve.
     * Price classes: Entry-level
  <$2,500; Professional $2,500–$20,000; Midrange $20,000–$100,000;
  Industrial $100,000+