Amanda Kay - December 28th, 2018
From homes to cars to medical devices and more, 3D printing is set to take the world by storm. And while that won’t happen overnight, IDTechEx estimates that by 2028 the industry could be worth $22 billion; Statista forecasts it nearly reaching that number by 2021.
Whichever the case, 3D printing accounts for a promising chunk of the $12-trillion manufacturing industry, and that has investors’ attention. With so many innovations currently happening in R&D, investors and other market participants remain excited about the future of the space.
But which companies were grabbing headlines in 2018? Continue reading below to find out what our top-read 3D printing news stories of the year were.
1. HP and BASF Reveal New 3D Printing Products at 2018 AMUG Conference
Our top 3D printing news story of the year came in April, when HP (NYSE:HPQ) and BASF (ETR:BAS) revealed new products at the 2018 Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Conference.
What were these new products? BASF introduced its new line of 3D printing materials, while HP showcased its Multi Jet Fusion technology. Read more about these exciting products and how the market reacted to their public launch.
2. Intermountain’s Revenue Up 120 Percent Thanks to 3D Systems
Second on our list of 3D printing news stories is an article on 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) and Intermountain 3D. Intermountain 3D had recently added 3D Systems’ Selective Laser Sintering printers to its portfolio, and enjoyed a revenue boost after the addition.
In light of this announcement, how did shareholders react?
3. HP Continues its Expansion in 3D Printing
Our third-most-read 3D printing news story of the year was this piece from May, with HP making waves once more. This time the company announced that it had expanded installations of its HP Jet Fusion 3D printing line with Materialise (NASDAQ:MTLS), Protolabs (NYSE:PRLB) and ZiggZagg.
4. Stratasys Releases Q1 Results, 3D Printing Stocks Tumble
Next is this piece on 3D printing leader Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS). The company suffered a “disappointing” Q1 in terms of revenue, followed by losses in the stock market. While investors were losing heart at this news, CEO Ilan Levin assured the public that this was not a trend for the year, and that he saw a brighter future moving forward.
What did Levin base this off of, and what did he say was the cause of the company’s low Q1 revenue? Read on for more details, and to find out what company Stratasys formed a new partnership with.
5. 3D Systems and Stryker Ink Deal to Advance Personalized Surgery
Closing out our most-read 3D printing news stories of the year is a second appearance for 3D Systems. This time the company made headlines when it joined with Stryker (NYSE:SYK) to innovate in the personal medicine space, specifically craniomaxillofacial procedures.
The two companies announced a joint distribution deal for 3D Systems’ virtual surgical planning technology. How did the market react to this partnership? You might be surprised.
Is there a 3D printing news story that caught your eye in 2018? Let us know in the comments.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Amanda Kay, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.