3D PRINTING 2025
3d printing by 2040: 40% out of manufacturing, logistics and trade.
Key figures
My prediction: on the record since 2011, and November 2017 at Exact Live in Utrecht, headline keynote plus Tech Talks interviewing Max Verstappen: 3D printing looks like fun and parts now; in the future it is a mega disrupter for manufacturing, global trade and logistics
Result: 3D printing factories with 10,000 printers in China (Kings Huafast, Shenzhen, 2026); Align prints 1 million+ aligner parts a day (July 2025); BMW printed 1.6 million+ car parts (March 2026); 1 million+ 3D printers under $2,500 shipped in 1 quarter (Q1 2025); the whole industry $21.9 billion in 2024
My next prediction: 2030 to 2040, 3D printer quality rises and prices drop to $299; many households own a 3D printer at home
My 2040 forecast: 3D printing takes 40% out of global manufacturing, logistics and trade; bye DHL, hello Amazon, who already patented flying warehouses filled with drones, food delivery included (2016)
2011. 3D printing looks like fun, and it makes parts. My prediction on stage, on the record since 2011: 3D printing will be a mega disruptor for manufacturing, global trade, and logistics.
First decades? 3D printing shops at the corner of your street. Next decades? 2030 to 2040 we will see 3D printer quality rise and prices drop to $299, and many households will own a 3D printer at home.
November 2017. Exact Live in Utrecht. Exact invited me to headline its tech and business event, and in my Tech Talks I interviewed Max Verstappen.
My words to Max: "I believe 3D printing will also help the medical industry, in which we can print organs or organ parts to save lives."
Max Verstappen agreed and gave me an F1 example: Red Bull Racing already took 2 or 3 printers to every race track to print parts fast and test next year's cockpit.
2025. Result: from fun and parts to the factory floor.
Factories: today I see 3D printing factories with 10,000 printers in China. Kings Huafast runs about 10,000 Bambu Lab printers in a single factory in Shenzhen (2026).
Health: Align Technology, the maker of Invisalign, prints more than 1 million custom aligner parts every day (July 2025).
Shoes: Adidas sells 4DFWD running shoes with 3D-printed soles.
Car parts: BMW has printed more than 1.6 million parts at its 3D printing campus (March 2026).
Low-cost printers: more than 1 million 3D printers under $2,500 shipped in 1 quarter (Q1 2025).
The whole industry: $21.9 billion in 2024.
My 2040 forecast: 3D printing takes 40% out of global manufacturing, logistics, and trade. Bye DHL, hello Amazon, which already patented flying warehouses filled with drones, food delivery included (2016).
Read 3D PRINTING 2040.
