Italy 3D Printing
The 2021 Wohlers report on 3D printing estimates the size of the overall global additive manufacturing market in 2020 at around US $13 billion, with Italy comprising 4% of the market, i.e., approximately $520 million. This number is larger if we include Italian companies that use the systems, sell materials and feedstocks or provide 3D printing services or solutions. If we take that into consideration, it would be safe to estimate the 3D printing market size for Italy to be in a range between $500 million - $1 billion.
In 2020 Italy ranked 11th in the world for usage of 3D printing technology in manufacturing and 4th in the world for usage growth rate. The 3D printing industry in Italy has been growing at a steady rate of about 20% for the last decade or so, and is set to continue, if not grow faster in coming years. Also, there is support in Italy for additive manufacturing Research and Development – with funding sources from the State and European Union level.
Italian 3D printing association AITA, (Associazione Italiana Tecnologie Additive) which includes manufacturers and users of 3D printing systems and accessories, recently conducted a survey among its members and found four major areas of application of 3d printing technologies in Italy:
- Automotive. Within it, there are three main applications: prototyping, sophisticated parts, luxury cars.
- Aerospace. Applications are turbine blades, parts of plane structures, interiors of planes.
- Bio – Medical. Applications are bio printing, i.e., human body parts, prostheses, pre-surgery practice particles, dental.
- Jewelry / Design / Fashion. Applications are spectacle frames, footwear for the disabled, sports shoes, accessories.
Major 3D printing system manufacturers in Italy include DWS, Sisma, D4Mec, 3ntr, Gigamax, Lumi Industries, Mark One, Prima Additive, Robot Factory, Roboze, Sharebot and Wasp. The additive manufacturing presence in Italy is due not only to Italian-owned companies but is also driven in part by companies choosing to establish some part of their business in Italy (many are clustered around the Milan area).
In terms of end user size and budget, compared to the USA, Italian mid-size companies are more likely than small ones to budget for 3D printing solutions and investment intentions. According to the 3D Printing Sentiment Index, which surveys professionals involved in 3D printing across different sectors, in 2020 the adoption of 3D printing technologies in Italy grew compared to 2019.
Among the Italian companies surveyed, almost half (47%) reported adopting 3D printing tools within their production processes. An increasing number of companies then reported using 3D printing for on-site production of industrial tools (70% of respondents indicated this function as their main use) and one in two Italian respondents also confirmed their confidence in the crucial function that 3D printing will have in 2021 within their companies. The lack of specific knowledge and skills is still one of the main obstacles to adopting this technology in Italy but compared to 2019 there is a slight decrease in the impact of these issues on the industrial integration of 3D printing.
The U.S. Commercial Service office in Milan (CS Milan) supports Formnext, https://formnext.mesago.com/frankfurt/en.html, Europe’s leading trade show for additive manufacturing. Formnext has proven to be a successful platform for U.S. companies wanting to enter European markets over the past years and includes many Italian visitors and exhibitors. CS Milan stands ready to connect U.S. exhibitors with Italian firms at the show and to assist U.S. 3D companies enter the Italian market regardless of their participation in Formnext.
For more information, please contact CS Milan at: federico.bevini@trade.gov