3D Printers Continue Growth in Healthcare

Healthcare continues to be a booming market for 3D printers, particularly in North America. New research from Spearhead Acuity Business Research & Consulting shows that North America holds a 47.5% share of the global healthcare space, accounting for $318.7 million 2014.

The report, “Global Healthcare 3D Printers, Applications, Products & Services Market Assessment & Forecast: 2015 – 2019,” was released earlier this month.

According to Spearhead, growth in this region is led by demand for 3D printed surgical guides. And although large companies such as Stratasys Inc., EnvisionTEC and 3D Systems are leading the North American 3D printing market, the region is increasingly becoming fragmented as a number of other 3D printer and service providers enter the market.

In Europe, the UK, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Belgium and Italy lead the market. Emerging players there include Zortax, Zmorph, 3DGence, Ira3D, DWS and ShareBot. According to the report:

A recent presentation of EU regulation on customized medical devices says that the manufacturers of medical devices for an individual patient, so called 'custom-made devices', must ensure that their devices are safe and perform as intended, but their regulatory burden remains low. This presents a major opportunity for new entrants in Europe as compared to United States; however, the actual real world effects of low regulations may be undermined by authorities.

The company expects market growth to remain strong, particularly as bioprinting and biofabrication become more practical. Printing of tissue and living biological material could be a significantly disruptive technology, with companies such as Organovo, BioBots, RegenHU, Cyfuse Biomedical, and others pressing forward. Trials of 3D printed human bone tissue began last year by Xi’an Particle Cloud. Also last year, Chineses firm Revotek released a 3D blood vessel bioprinter.

Another study from Allied Market Research (“World 3D Printing Healthcare Market – Opportunities and Forecasts, 2014-2020,” estimates the global 3D printing market for healthcare applications will have a CAGR of 26.2%, reaching $2.3 billion by 2020. According to the report, the emergence of biocompatible materials will drive rapid growth in the materials segment.

For more on 3D printing and healthcare, you can view our previous coverage here.

Source: Spearhead Acuity