In its new study, "Additive Manufacturing in Space and Defense Aerospace Markets," SmarTech Markets Publishing projects 3D printing (3DP) hardware, software, materials and services for defense aerospace and space companies to reach around $140 million in 2016, rising to $600 million in 2022.
In October, SmarTechs will publish a separate report on the use of 3DP in jetliners for commercial and general aviation aircraft. The two reports together are a follow-up to SmarTech's bestselling aerospace industry 3D printing study published in 2014.
This report explores the entire value chain for 3DP in space/defense aerospace markets, providing analysis of the benefits of 3D printing in the manufacture of space vehicles, satellites, military aircraft, missile systems, and UAVs.
The report contains ten-year forecasts including: (1) revenue forecasts for the space/defense aerospace sector with breakouts by software, services, hardware and materials; (2) number of parts printed for each application, with breakouts by prototypes, tooling, and final use components, as well as by material type; and (3) the install base of printers.
Leading players from discussed in this report include: 3D Systems, Addaero, Aerojet, Aero Kinetics, Airbus, Arcam, BAE, Boeing, Concept Laser, CRP Technology, DST Control, EOS, ExOne, Farsoon, GE Aviation, Honeywell Aerospace, InssTek, Leptron, Lithoz, Lockheed Martin, Materialise, MTI, MTU, Norinco, Northrup Grumman, Oxford Performance Materials, Prodways, Raytheon, Rocket Lab, RUAG, Sigma Labs, Sintavia, SpaceX, Stratasys, Victrex, voxeljet and Windform.
- Use of additive manufacturing in space and defense aerospace is still in the development phase, favoring the use of service providers to print low-volume parts. There is therefore a growing need for service providers with specialist knowledge of space and defense applications. 3DP service revenues generated from the space/defense aerospace sector will exceed $325 million by 2022. But there will eventually be a transition to printer ownership and already certain 3DP print jobs must be kept in-house for security reasons.
- Many kinds of 3DP technologies will be used for space and defense aerospace parts, but powder bed systems are expected to account for 50 percent of hardware revenues over the next eight years. Soon both plastic and metal systems will prove to be ideal technologies for replacement parts in aging military aircraft.
- By 2022 consumption of 3D print materials by the space and defense aerospace will reach $120 million. Polymers will have a growing presence in some areas of space/defense aerospace 3DP. But there is also a high degree of potential metal component demand for very large structural components associated with space vehicles, satellites, and some military aircraft.
