An updated edition of the July 7, 2025 article.

3D Printing, or additive manufacturing, is a groundbreaking technology that converts digital designs into physical objects by building them layer by layer with remarkable precision. Since its debut in the 1980s, the technology has advanced rapidly, reshaping how products are designed, created and manufactured. From customized prosthetics and mechanical components to architectural structures, 3D Printing has unlocked new levels of innovation and efficiency.  

Due to its clear edge in terms of cost, customization, precision and sustainability compared with traditional manufacturing methods, businesses are now embracing 3D Printing for rapid prototyping and on-demand production. Xometry (XMTR Quick QuoteXMTR - Free Report) , Proto Labs Inc. (PRLB Quick QuotePRLB - Free Report) and Stratasys, Ltd. (SSYS Quick QuoteSSYS - Free Report) have been the forerunners in this space.

It enables the creation of complex shapes and products that traditional methods cannot match. Localized production can cut down supply chains and lower transportation costs. Also, on-demand manufacturing eliminates the need to maintain large inventories, which is particularly beneficial for industries with seasonal demand or those requiring spare parts on an urgent basis.

3D Printing is gaining popularity across sectors such as healthcare, aerospace, automotive and consumer goods. In aerospace, it is used to manufacture lightweight, durable aircraft and spacecraft components. In the automotive industry, it is valuable for producing prototypes, tooling and even customized parts. The technology is transforming the medical field by producing personalized medical tools and generating prosthetic body parts for patients. It is pushing boundaries even further with advancements in tissue and organ printing, which could one day redefine modern medicine.

According to Precedence Research, the global healthcare 3D Printing market stood at $1.66 billion in 2024 and will end this year at $1.96 billion. By 2034, the market can surpass $8.71 billion, seeing a CAGR of 18% between 2024 and 2034. North America currently leads the sector and is expected to retain this dominance, thanks to strong government support, increasing public awareness and a high volume of operative procedures.

Overall, the global 3D Printing market is projected to reach $29.29 billion in 2025 from $24.61 billion in 2024. By 2034, it will likely attain $134.6 billion, witnessing a CAGR of 18.52%. 

The U.S. 3D printing market is expected to grow, seeing a CAGR of 19.18% over the 2025-2034 period. North America dominates the market, with more than 35% share, with Asia Pacific at its heels with a 30% share. India and China are also leveraging 3D printing technology to increase their share in global manufacturing competitiveness.

We believe that 3D Printing offers compelling growth opportunities for investors, driven by its strong prospects, inherent advantages and increasing adoption across high-end growth markets. 

Our 3D Printing Screen makes it easy to identify high-potential stocks. Currently, stocks like GE Aerospace (GE Quick QuoteGE - Free Report) , PTC (PTC Quick QuotePTC - Free Report) , Carpenter Technology (CRS Quick QuoteCRS - Free Report) , Proto Labs and 3D Systems (DDD Quick QuoteDDD - Free Report) look lucrative. 

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GE Aerospace is considered one of the leading proponents of additive manufacturing. Since the 1980s, the company has been engaged in additive manufacturing research. The acquisition of a small additive company, Morris Technologies, in 2012 transformed GE’s approach to designing, leading to the first complex component made “additively” for the production of a jet engine. GE Aerospace subsequently boosted its additive manufacturing prowess in 2016 through two more acquisitions of Arcam AB and Concept Laser in Europe.

GE offers industrial metal 3D printers, powders and services to customers through its Colibrium Additive business. It produces several key components for LEAP and GE9X engines. According to GE, 3D Printing has enabled the GE9X engine to be 10% more fuel efficient than the GE90. Also, each of GE Aerospace’s LEAP engines includes 3D-printed fuel nozzles and has increased fuel efficiency by 15% compared with CFM56 engines. 

In March 2025, GE Aerospace announced plans to invest nearly $1 billion to strengthen its production capabilities and advance the use of innovative new parts and materials. Around $100 million is earmarked for scaling innovative parts made from new materials and advanced manufacturing processes that provide engines with more range, power and efficiency. This includes focusing on developing additive manufacturing and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), which are one-third the weight of traditional materials yet capable of withstanding higher temperatures, ensuring greater power and durability for engines.

These investments are targeted across its U.S facilities for 3D printers, upgrades to existing equipment and tooling to increase capacity and ensure quality, additional machines to produce materials that are the building blocks for CMC engine parts, as well as advanced machines that can shape metal parts to precise specifications.

GE currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

PTC’s Creo is a parametric 3D CAD system designed to accelerate high-quality product development in less time. Manufacturers rely on Creo to get the most value from their CAD system, with fully integrated design, simulation and manufacturing capabilities. Creo delivers model-based product development, real-time simulation, generative design and streamlined workflows for composites, additive and subtractive manufacturing. Also, easy-to-use core modeling tools help improve productivity every day. 

The company’s latest release, Creo 12, is the most updated version yet. It promises to deliver market-leading reliability and accuracy in advanced composite structure design, with innovative tools that will enable engineers to efficiently design, simulate and manufacture composite parts. Creo 12 provides faster, more accurate creation of solid geometry from composite layers and can create an associative manufacturing reference model. PTC sports a Zacks Rank of 1. 

Carpenter Technology formed the Carpenter Additive business unit in May 2019. The company has been building its additive capabilities through the acquisitions of LPW Technology Ltd., Puris and CalRAM over the past few years. In late 2019, CRS opened its Emerging Technology Center in Athens, AL, with the capability to atomize a range of specialty alloys into metal powder and manufacture the powder into finished parts using AM technology (3D Metal Printing). Its downstream equipment for taking the initially produced part to a final finished product included the state-of-the-art quick-cooling Hot Isostatic Press system, as well as vacuum heat treating to optimize the material properties of high-value specialty alloy components.

The Carpenter Additive business is one of the world's most versatile producers of spherical, gas-atomized, pre-alloyed metal powders and consolidated powder metallurgy products. The powders meet the unique demands of additive manufacturing, metal injection molding, hot isostatic pressing, near-net shapes, surface enhancement processes and tool steels.

Starting from powder production to manufacturing and finishing parts, the end-to-end capabilities differentiate Carpenter Additive from the rest of the industry. CRS currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). 

Proto Labs is considered the world’s fastest digital manufacturing source for rapid prototypes and on-demand production parts. It has 25 years of additive manufacturing expertise, with more than 250,000 parts printed each month. It currently serves more than 50,000 product developers.

In 2014, the company launched 3D Printing services to simplify the transition from early prototyping to low-volume production. In April 2014, it strengthened 3D Printing technologies through the acquisition of FineLine. PRLB expanded its 3D Printing capabilities in October 2015 with the buyout of Alphaform.

In September 2024, Proto Labs expanded its 3D Printing capabilities with the launch of an advanced photopolymers technology. Axtra3D Hybrid PhotoSynthesis (HPS) offers highly repeatable and finely detailed 3D Printed parts at accelerated speeds. HPS uses a precision laser and digital light processing system to simultaneously image internal and external part structures — a dual 3D Printing approach that overcomes traditional limitations.

Proto Labs currently provides an online 3D Printing service that enables customers to print their requirements into plastic, metal and elastomeric parts. In 2024, PRLB’s 3D Printing service generated around $84 million in revenues. With more than 120 3D printers, Proto Labs has an unmatched capacity that reliably delivers parts within days. It also offers several post-processing options to improve cosmetics or enhance mechanical properties. PRLB has a Zacks Rank #2 at present.

3D Systems is a leading provider of 3D content-to-print solutions including 3D printers, print materials, on-demand custom parts services and 3D authoring solutions. Its 3D printing materials also offer a diverse range, including plastic, elastomer, composite, wax, metal, bio-compatible and more. It caters to a broad range of industries, including manufacturers of automotive, aerospace, computer, electronic, defense, education, consumer, energy and healthcare products, as well as original equipment manufacturers, government agencies, universities, independent service bureaus and individual consumers.

The company recently announced a major milestone in digital dentistry with the launch of the NextDent Jetted Denture Solution for the U.S. market. Using MultiJet Printing (MJP) technology, this solution delivers superior-quality dentures with fewer manual steps, streamlining production while reducing costs. This solution is designed to help labs scale production efficiently while delivering high-quality dentures that meet the growing demand for digital solutions. 

Also recently, 3D Systems’ bioprinting system enabled production of a 3D-printed bioabsorbable medical device leveraging TISSIUM’s proprietary biomorphic programmable polymers, a major industry milestone that sets a new standard for high-resolution elastomeric 3D-printed medical implants. This builds on 3D Systems’ pioneering work to develop additive manufacturing solutions for regenerative medicine applications. 

The company is collaborating with researchers on two projects sponsored by the National Aeronautics & Space Administration to enable ground-breaking alternatives to current thermal management solutions. By combining deep applications expertise with 3D Systems’ leading additive manufacturing (AM) solutions comprising Direct Metal Printing (DMP) technology and tailored materials and Oqton’s 3DXpert software, the teams are engineering sophisticated thermal management solutions for the demands of next-generation satellites and space exploration. DDD currently has a Zacks Rank of 2.