3D Printing in Medical Applications Market Size, Share and Trends 2024 to 2034

3D Printing in Medical Applications Market Size and Forecast 2024 to 2034

The global 3D printing in medical applications market size is worth around USD 4.13 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to reach around USD 19.74 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 16.94% from 2024 to 2034. The 3D printing in medical applications market is driven by the growing need for individualized medical care, including prosthetics and implants made for each patient.

3D Printing in Medical Applications Market Key Takeaways 

• North America dominated 3D printing in the medical applications market in 2023.
• Asia-Pacific is observed to be the fastest growing during the forecast period. 
• By application, the medical implants segment contributed the highest market share in 2023.
• By application, the bioengineering products segment shows notable growth during the forecast period.
• By raw materials, the polymers segment contributed the highest market share in 2023.
• By raw materials, the biological cells segment is predicted to witness significant growth in the market over the forecast period.
• By technology, the droplet deposition manufacturing segment generated the major market share in 2023.
• By technology, the laser beam melting segment expected significant growth during the predicted period.

How AI Works for 3D Printing in Medical Applications?

Artificial intelligence (AI) creates customized 3D models of organs, tissues, or implants by processing patient data (such as CT or MRI scans). AI-powered systems can monitor 3D printing in real time and identify flaws or irregularities. AI enhances the printing and design of aligners, bridges, and crowns. It guides changes for improved results by modeling the behavior of bio-printed tissues under various situations. Additionally, it detects possible mistakes in the printing or design process, cutting down on waste and boosting dependability.

Market Overview

3D printing can create customized medical equipment and prosthetics that fit a person's anatomy. Because implants and prostheses can be 3D-printed to suit each patient's unique body shape, improving comfort and functionality is especially advantageous in orthopedics. Traditional prostheses may not fit correctly and might be costly. To improve accessibility and comfort, 3D printing enables the rapid and economical production of orthotic devices and prostheses customized to a patient's specifications.

Leading the study are researchers from the University of Nottingham's Centre for Additive Manufacturing and the School of Pharmacy, which has used Multi-Material InkJet 3D Printing (MM-IJ3DP) to create individualized medicine.

3D Printing in Medical Applications Market Growth Factors

• 3D printing makes it possible to create surgical instruments, implants, and prostheses customized for each patient's anatomy. This degree of personalization is driving demand in orthopedics, dentistry, and reconstructive surgery.
• The FDA and other regulatory bodies are creating guidelines for 3D printed medical devices, increasing market trust. Collaborations between healthcare professionals and 3D printing companies also speed up the adoption of new technologies.
• The creation of functional tissue and organ models is made possible by bioprinting advancements, such as using bio-inks and living cells. Applications in pharmaceutical testing and regenerative medicine are growing due to these developments.

Market Scope

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Creation of highly customized implants

3D printing makes it possible to create implants that are both biocompatible and, biodegradable by precisely tailoring the material choices to the patient's particular biological requirements. This level of customization can reduce the risk of infection and rejection by improving the body's acceptance of the implant. 3D printing enables manufacturers and healthcare facilities to create implants at reduced prices, even with complete customization, by doing away with the requirement for wasteful production methods and huge inventories. As a result, both patients and healthcare professionals may now afford customized 3D-printed implants.

Growing applications in regenerative medicine 

Complex tissue architectures may be precisely fabricated layer by layer using 3D printing, producing scaffolds that closely mimic human tissues. These scaffolds give cells the structure they need to grow, creating unique tissues that may one day be used to replace patients' damaged body parts.

Restraint

Regulatory hurdles

3D-printed devices, particularly those meant for implants, often undergo extensive clinical trials to prove their safety and effectiveness. These trials are expensive, time-consuming, and highly skilled. Since these devices might not go through conventional production procedures, producing them on demand in a healthcare environment, like a hospital, presents unique obstacles. Regulatory agencies are still figuring out how to monitor and enforce safety and quality requirements for this kind of on-demand manufacturing.

Opportunity

Creation of customized drug dosages and delivery methods

The amount of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in each dose can be precisely controlled via 3D printing. Patients who need non-standard dosages that might not be commercially available will particularly benefit from this. For instance, typical adult doses may be dangerous or ineffectual for pediatric and geriatric patients, necessitating modified dosages. According to regulatory agencies, the safety and effectiveness of 3D-printed medications must be sured, which is needed for technological advancements and quality assurance. In 3D printing, the demand for strong quality control systems poses both a difficulty and an opportunity for innovation.

Application Insights

The medical implants segment dominated the 3D printing in medical applications market in 2023.  Complex implantable medical device design and manufacturing issues can be resolved with 3D printing technology, which can create devices with any complex shape without requiring consideration of processing issues. Because of its precision, ability to print and shape most materials, ability to meet individualized and other customized needs, and high material usage rate throughout the printing process, it is becoming increasingly significant in implanting medical devices. Further, it enables the development of novel geometry, like microscopic holes, to promote the establishment of blood vessels on a spine implant. These geometries may be developed and tested, prototyped utilizing the planned production method, and completed significantly more quickly due to the technology.

• For instance, Dental prostheses like bridges and dentures can be supported by 3D-printed dental implants, which can also be used to replace lost teeth. By creating better-fitting joints that are safer and more pleasant for the patient, they offer superior stability over conventional techniques.

The bioengineering products segment shows a notable growth in 3D printing in medical applications market during the forecast period. Over the last twenty years, 3D printing has been increasingly employed in biomedical engineering to produce a wide range of intricate, personalized biomedical goods for a range of therapeutic applications, including splints and stents. Biomedical devices include a wide range of implants essential to contemporary healthcare. By precisely depositing and assembling biomaterials, functioning biochemicals, and living cells, 3D bioprinting may create 3D structures in vitro.

• According to a paper published in Small, a group of scientists from China and the UK have created nanoscale robots that may be able to treat aneurysm-related brain hemorrhage.
• In September 2024, WHOOP, a product for high-performance athletes and wellness-conscious people, officially entered the Indian market. It transforms how users track and enhance their performance and general well-being by offering real-time insights into health parameters, including recuperation, strain, stress, and sleep.
• In November 2024, GE HealthCare was granted FDA 510 (k) approval for its ground-breaking SIGNA MAGNUS, a 3.0T high-performance, head-only magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. This technology can potentially help detect neurological, oncological, and psychiatric problems and offers new clinical imaging and neuroscience capabilities.

Raw Materials Insights

The polymers segment dominated the 3D printing in medical applications market in 2023.  Extrusion, resin, and powder 3D printing techniques are used in polymer printing to enable designs with various topologies, responses, and layouts that are not achievable with other technologies. It is the most often used material because it is simple to use and expands and contracts very little when heated and cooled. Although the various materials offer better performance, printing them is more costly and challenging.

The biological cells segment shows a notable growth in the 3D printing in medical applications market during the forecast period. Some research suggests that a lack of donors is causing an imbalance between the supply and demand of essential organs. Numerous tissue engineering teams and recent research investigations have chosen to use 3D bioprinting to create these artificial organs. Therefore, by creating new functional organs from autologous extracellular matrices, 3D bioprinting technology may resolve this disparity.

Bioprinting technology can satisfy the increasing need for tissues and organs, provided sufficient funds and attention are allocated to its advancement. It is capable of effectively producing 3D functionalized organs and tissues. Recent advances in medical imaging technology have made it possible for researchers to provide precise measurements of organs and tissues using X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans.

Technology Insights

The droplet deposition manufacturing segment dominated the 3D printing in medical applications market in 2023. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have created numerical models that enable accurate management of the 3D ice printing process in manufacturing and biomedical applications. The laser beam melting segment shows a notable growth in the 3D printing in medical applications market during the forecast period. The rising applications of laser-based technologies, especially in the healthcare sector is seen to supplement the segment’s expansion.

Regional Insights

North America dominated 3D printing in medical applications market in 2023. The capacity of 3D printing technology to produce patient-specific medical equipment, customized surgical instruments, anatomical models, implants, research tools, and other uses has led to its quick adoption in medical settings. Engineers, radiologists, and doctors can work together to develop custom, on-demand solutions because of the versatility of 3D printing, which offers many alternatives for clinical applications. The development of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment could be entirely transformed by 3D printing. Additionally, it might optimize supply chains, suggest more affordable and individualized medical services, and offer new approaches to medical practice.

Asia-Pacific is observed to be the fastest growing in the 3D printing in medical applications market during the forecast period. Improvements in patient care have been fueled by surgical breakthroughs, which have improved surgical outcomes and reduced patient morbidity. The clinical benefits, moral dilemmas, economic considerations, and broader impact on the global healthcare industry are all connected to integrating new technological developments in orthopedic surgery.

3D Printing in Medical Applications Market Companies

• 3D Systems
• Markforged
• Organovo
• EnvisionTEC
• Siemens
• Arkema
• Struktur
• Stratasys
• Materialise
• Formlabs

Recent Developments

• In October 2024, PrintMon Maker, a new AI-powered 3D model generator, was unveiled by 3D printer company Bambu Lab. Using text or image suggestions, users can design 3D printable characters with this tool accessible through MakerWorld. It aims to promote innovation and reduce the entrance barrier for 3D modeling. Interestingly, the generative AI platform generates models best suited for 3D printing in several colors.
• In May 2024, to examine diseased or damaged tissues and organs, researchers at the Mayo Clinic created tissue replicas of various bodily components using technology. They see a time when a 3D bioprinter may shape living cells to create a treatment or remedy for complicated illnesses.
• In January 2024, Simpliforge Creations, a provider of additive manufacturing solutions, and ABB Robotics are working to improve and develop 3D printing technology for the Indian construction industry. Due to the partnership, construction companies will be able to build structures more quickly, safely, and sustainably.

Segments Covered in the Report 

By Applications

• Medical Implants
• Bioengineering Products
• Surgical Guides
• Surgical Instruments

By Raw Materials

• Polymers 
• Ceramics 
• Metals 
• Biological Cells

By Technology

• Electron Beam Melting
• Laser Beam Melting
• Photo Polymerization
• Droplet Deposition Manufacturing

By Geography

• North America
• Asia Pacific
• Europe
• Latin America
• Middle East and Africa