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Systems and sectors at baseline

6 min read0 figures2 tables12 notesNR-XTECH-MANUFACTURING-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE

Contents
  1. ·Edition home
  2. ·Executive summary
  3. 1Additive manufacturing is production infrastructure that is still being qualified
  4. 2Key findings
  5. 3Systems and sectors at baseline
    1. 3.1 Where each system stood at evidence close
    2. 3.2 Domain posture
    3. 3.3 Sector screens
  6. 4Risks and capability
  7. 5Defence demand outruns part acceptance and supply
  8. 6Readings from the other desks
  9. 7The 2027 agenda
  10. 8Systems in depth
  11. AMethodology
  12. BData appendix
  13. CReferences and record
  14. ·Complete edition, for print

3.1Where each system stood at evidence close

FIN · Market

Global additive manufacturing revenue

24.2USD billion

up 10.9% on 2024; trade summary of a commercial report.

Reported2025trade summary2

FIN · Services

Share of revenue from printing services

48percent

services grew 15.5%; machine sales grew 3.6%.

Reported2025trade summary2

FIN · Machine makers

Revenue of one listed machine maker

551.1USD million

against 572.5 in 2024; company release.

Reported2025company3

GOV · Defence

Additive parts installed by the US Navy in a year

20parts

nearly 120 in development; official release.

Reported2026DVIDS7

ENE · Energy

Specific energy, polymer laser sintering, one platform

113.66MJ/kg

estimate; metal machines not bound.

Reported2015journal14

INF · Benchmarks

Challenge problem submissions to AM-Bench 2025

85submissions

8 metal and 1 polymer benchmark sets.

Reported2025NIST12

3.2Domain posture

Each of the twelve coupled domains is read through additive manufacturing, in words, not scored. The coupling column names the dependency that carries additive manufacturing risk into each domain.

Table 3.1Each domain read in words, not scored
DomainPosture at baselineCouplingStatus
WATCooling-water use of additive facilities is not published.ENE → WATExpert input EQL 1
ENEOne polymer platform used about 114 MJ/kg; metal machines on a common basis are not bound.ENE ↔ INFReported EQL 3
FOONo documented coupling at baseline in the sources read.none documentedExpert input EQL 1
HLTOccupational exposure to metal powders was evaluated in 2025; medical device use is not evidenced here.INF → HLTReported EQL 3
BIONo documented coupling at baseline in the sources read.none documentedExpert input EQL 1
CLIProcess energy and gas use matter at scale; no figure bound for metals.INF → CLIExpert input EQL 1
INFThe core system: parts in production, benchmark data, open gaps in monitoring and standards.the core systemReported EQL 4
FINUSD 24.2 billion of revenue in 2025; weak machine sales; one Chapter 11 filing.FIN → INFReported EQL 4
DATDigital build files and the digital thread are central to controls and security; no figure bound.INF ↔ DATInferred EQL 2
AICNo documented coupling to compute platforms at baseline; process-control research is preprint level.none documentedExpert input EQL 1
MINPowder and alloy supply matter for production; volumes are not bound.MIN → INFInferred EQL 2
TRDExport controls on metal machines and concentrated machine exports shape access.INF ↔ TRDReported EQL 2

3.3Sector screens

All sixteen sectors are screened for their dependence on additive manufacturing, on the same grammar as every national edition. The evidence column describes coverage of the baseline evidence, not the performance of the sector.

Table 3.2Sectors: baseline evidence and the exposure to watch
CodeSectorBaseline evidenceExposure to watchEvidence coverage
GS-00Cross-systemadditive production couples to defence, minerals and tradepart acceptance limitTHIN
GS-01Watercooling-water use not publishedfacility sitingTHIN
GS-02Energyenergy of one polymer platform bound14metal machine energyTHIN
GS-03Foodno documented couplingnone documentedTHIN
GS-04Healthoccupational exposure evaluated20exposure across facilitiesPARTIAL
GS-05Financerevenue and machine-maker results234consolidationPARTIAL
GS-06Developmentaccess to machines and skillswidening gapsTHIN
GS-07Climatefootprint at scale not boundenergy demandTHIN
GS-08Disasterno documented couplingnone documentedTHIN
GS-09Infrastructurespare parts for ships and submarines7single-site dependencePARTIAL
GS-10Citiesno documented couplingnone documentedTHIN
GS-11Biodiversityno documented couplingnone documentedTHIN
GS-12Earth observationno documented couplingnone documentedTHIN
GS-13Cyber and digitaldigital thread and build files1321file securityTHIN
GS-14PolicyDoD strategy and export controls1022controls and procurementPARTIAL
GS-15Sciencebenchmark data and process reviews1215common benchmarksGOOD

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 2Voulpiotis, F. (3Dnatives), Wohlers Report 2026: growth continues, but caution defines the AM market (trade article, 17 February 2026; weak evidence: a trade summary of a commercial report; reports 2025 revenue USD 24.231 billion, up 10.9%, services up 15.5% with 48% share, machine sales up 3.6%, Asia-Pacific up 19.8%, Europe and the Americas up 9%). 3Dnatives, Paris. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  2. 3Stratasys Ltd. (ed.), Stratasys releases fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results (company release, 5 March 2026; revenue USD 551.1 million against USD 572.5 million in 2024; GAAP net loss USD 104.3 million). Stratasys, Rehovot and Eden Prairie. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  3. 7Jones, M. (NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support), Shattering bottlenecks: NAVSUP WSS partners with DLA and NAVSEA on submarine advanced manufacturing (official release via the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, 30 June 2026; nearly 120 additive parts in development, 20 installed, more than 1,400 cumulative days of delay removed, lead times cut by up to 70% for some components; not independently audited). US Navy, Mechanicsburg. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  4. 14Baumers, M., Tuck, C. and Hague, R., Selective heat sintering versus laser sintering: comparison of deposition rate, process energy consumption and cost performance, Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium proceedings, University of Texas at Austin (full text read; the year is inferred from the cited 2015 sources). Observation year 2015. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  5. 12NIST (ed.), AM-Bench (program page; 2025 benchmarks 8 metal and 1 polymer sets; 85 challenge submissions; conference November 2025; AM Bench 2028 in planning). National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  6. 20American Industrial Hygiene Association (ed.), NIOSH evaluates metals exposures at manufacturing facility (news item, 11 September 2025, on a NIOSH health hazard evaluation dated February 2025 with visits in March and May 2023; secondary summary, the evaluation itself was not opened). AIHA, Falls Church. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  7. 43D Systems Corporation (ed.), 3D Systems reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results (company release, 9 March 2026; revenue USD 386.9 million, down 12%; Healthcare Solutions USD 179.6 million; Industrial Solutions USD 207.3 million). 3D Systems, Rock Hill. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  8. 13Gibbons, D.W. and Witherell, P.W., A reference activity model for additive manufacturing: powder bed fusion, NIST AMS 100-60, July 2024 (front matter and abstract read). National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg. Observation year 2024. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  9. 21Brockmann, K. and Bauer, S., 3D printing and missile technology controls, SIPRI Background Paper, November 2017 (summary page read; machines, feedstock and digital build files). Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Stockholm. Observation year 2017. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  10. 10OSD ManTech Program Office (ed.), DoD additive manufacturing strategy (article page of the Defense Systems Information Analysis Center dated 1 March 2021; strategy released January 2021 by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; the page lists no figures; the strategy document itself was not opened). Defense Systems Information Analysis Center, Belcamp. Observation year 2021. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  11. 223DPrint.com (ed.), US Department of Commerce issues new export controls on metal additive manufacturing (trade article, 18 September 2024; interim final rule; ECCN 2B910; comments due 5 November 2024; author analysis on scope; secondary source, weak evidence). 3DPrint.com, Chicago. Observation year 2024. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  12. 15Chen, L. et al., In-situ process monitoring and adaptive quality enhancement in laser additive manufacturing: a critical review, arXiv:2404.13673, submitted 21 April 2024 (abstract page read; accepted to the Journal of Manufacturing Systems). arXiv, Ithaca. Observation year 2024. Accessed 2026-11-03.back

Cite this chapter

Valadbaygi, S. (Ed.). (2026). Chapter 3: Systems and sectors at baseline. In Exponential Technology Report 2026: Additive and Advanced Manufacturing (Baseline Edition 2026, Report No. NR-XTECH-MANUFACTURING-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE) [Draft under review]. The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI).

Every citation form of the whole report, BibTeX and RIS included, is on the edition home. Cite this report

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