Press releases

High interest rates suppress capital expenditure while consumers rush to buy systems ahead of anticipated tariffs

London, 10 July 2025 – The global 3D printer market saw sharply divergent trends in the first quarter of 2025, according to the
latest analysis by global market intelligence firm CONTEXT. ‘Amid looming tariff wars, unstable market conditions, persistent
inflation and high interest rates, the Entry-level class saw a significant surge in shipments, while the Industrial and Midrange
sectors continued to face headwinds,’ said Chris Connery, VP of global analysis at CONTEXT.

Overall system revenues grew by 5% year-on-year (YoY), due entirely to a 22% increase in revenues from Entry-level printers as
consumers and channel partners made purchases to get ahead of threatened tariffs. In contrast, revenues from the critical high-
end Industrial segment slid by −6% as end-markets were paralysed by rapidly changing tariff policies, unstable business
environments and the high cost of capital.



 

Three key trends defined Q1 2025:

• Entry-level shipments surged, rising 15% YoY, reversing a negative trend from the second half of 2024.
• Industrial and Midrange systems continued to struggle as high interest rates constrained capital spending. Industrial shipments were down -17% and Midrange shipments -13% on a TTM basis.
• The fortunes of different technologies within the Professional price class diverged, and overall shipments saw a modest decline of -4%.

Industrial and Midrange systems

High interest rates continued to deter capital expenditure, leading to another challenging quarter for the Industrial and Midrange price classes.
Global Industrial 3D printer shipments fell −14% YoY in Q1 2025. Trends were negative almost across the board: while Chinese companies held up better than those in the West, and metals printers did better than polymer printers, no region or technology was immune to the geopolitical and inflationary situation. Shipments of polymer systems were down −18% compared to −8% for metals. Although Industrial revenues experienced an overall decline of −6% year-over-year in Q1, this decrease was somewhat mitigated by rising average selling prices for advanced Metal Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) systems from vendors such as Eplus3D and Nikon SLM Solutions. Demand for advanced multi-laser, large build-volume metal PBF systems continued to be a bright spot in the global additive market, with these two vendors maintaining their leadership. 

There was a similar pattern for Midrange printer shipments, which dropped −16% YoY in Q1 2025. Chinese vendors – mostly fulfilling domestic demand – fared better than Western vendors in the period, with Midrange shipments from UnionTech rising 13%. Demand in China looks to have shifted down to lower price classes in the period however as UnionTech’s shipments of their Industrial Polymer machines were down markedly. The standout vendor in this price class (on a TTM basis) is Flashforge thanks to strong Asia Pacific and Middle East sales of their material jetting printer to the jewellery market. Over the trailing-twelve-month period, established Western companies such as Stratasys, 3D Systems and Formlabs saw sales fall, contributing to a −13% drop in global shipments on a TTM basis.

 

Professional printers

The −4% fall in shipments of Professional printers masks a significant technology shift. Material extrusion (mostly FDM/FFF) machines continued to lose momentum, with shipments dropping −31% in the period (and down −30% over the TTM) as buyers instead chose high-performance Entry-level solutions from vendors like Bambu Lab. Conversely, vat photopolymerization shipments were up 19% YoY in Q1 (and up 17% in the TTM) as vendors such as Formlabs and SprintRay revitalised the segment by introducing new products based on mSLA technology and seeing growth as a result. Indeed, Formlabs’ 40% shipment growth in the quarter keeps them solidly in the market share lead in this price class.

 

Entry-level printers

The Entry-level category was the standout performer in Q1 2025, with over a million units shipped globally in the period representing a 15% YoY increase. This growth was almost entirely driven by shipment pull-in as vendors, channel partners and end-users accelerated purchases in anticipation of US tariffs on Chinese goods. Chinese vendors accounted for 95% of all Entry-level printers shipped globally in the quarter. Bambu Lab performed best in terms of growth, with a 64% YoY increase in shipments. Meanwhile, although Creality saw a minor sales dip of −3%, it remained the dominant vendor with a 39% market share based on unit sales. Other top vendors, including Flashforge and Elegoo, also saw strong YoY growth.








 

Outlook

While shipments remained strong for Entry-level 3D Printers in early 2025, market dynamics in the first half of the year have led to downward revisions of forecasts for higher-end systems. Economic headwinds – including tariffs, inflation and high interest rates – are now expected to persist through 2025, with a significant market recovery in the high-end of the market not projected until 2026. While waiting for business conditions to improve, many OEMs are focusing on profitability, taking time to study their balance sheets rather than chasing market share, while others have leaned more heavily on M&A. As newly merged companies continue to find their feet (consider Nano Dimension after the acquisition of both Markforged and Desktop Metal), others have divested or spun-out their additive businesses (consider TRUMPF’s newly divested metal PBF business), still others have, like Velo3D, shown continued progress after new investment. Many now offer public indications of strong growth while fully leaning in to current demand from regional defence and aerospace markets. Most industrial vendors, while shifting out or down their 2025 forecasts, still report strong end-market engagement and interest, fully expecting that it is only a matter of time before business conditions improve and this demand is let loose again. Regional onshoring initiatives, the urgent need for production due to disrupted supply chains (caused by fluctuating tariffs and geopolitics), and a growing focus on autonomy all present opportunities for agile additive manufacturing when capital is more affordable. ‘While the immediate forecast is challenging, there remains strong underlying pent-up demand, particularly for Industrial systems,’ says Connery. ‘OEMs still report high levels of customer interest, and the industry is poised to rebound once macroeconomic conditions improve. We expect a gradual recovery to begin in 2026 as interest rates fall and stimulate renewed capital spending, similar to the surge seen after the Covid lockdowns.’

* Price classes: Entry-level <$2,500; Professional $2,500–$20,000; Midrange $20,000–$100,000; Industrial $100,000+
 

About CONTEXT
CONTEXT’s global market intelligence, performance benchmarks and opportunity analysis empower clients to optimise operations and accelerate tomorrow’s revenues. With over 35 years of industry partnership and experience reporting on large datasets, CONTEXT delivers analytics at all points in the value chain, providing clients with actionable insights rooted in concrete data and a profound understanding of customer needs. CONTEXT is headquartered in London, with over 300 staff across the world, and in 2019 was recognised as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces™ by Great Place to Work®.

Press contact
Funda Cizgenakad
T: +44 7876 616 246
E: Funda@contextworld.com