Atomic Layer of the Day:
This week, two companies shared milestones in their respective journeys. German EOS announced the installation of its 5,000th system, while American Xact Metal celebrated its 150th installation.
Of course, these dramatic differences in numbers stem from the vastly different market tenures of the two companies. EOS was founded in 1989 and is one of the few legacy companies still active in the market (the only other ones with comparable longevity are 3D Systems, Stratasys, and Materialise). On the other hand, Xact Metal was established only in 2017.
But, as usual, I’m getting at something else…
The above numbers serve as a reminder of just how niche additive manufacturing still is, especially in its industrial form. Selling 5,000 machines over 36 years is not a figure EOS would likely boast about in the context of the CNC machine market. Similarly, 150 machines sold in eight years by Xact Metal isn't exactly groundbreaking.
Let’s not kid ourselves—these are truly low numbers.
Of course, I’m aware that comparing AM to CNC or any other traditional manufacturing technology is silly and unfair. CNC has been a staple in industry since World War II, and injection molding dates back to the mid-19th century!
Nonetheless, it’s not me but the CEOs of leading industrial AM companies who have been trying for years to position themselves on par with these technologies, predicting that metal 3D printers and powder polymer systems will soon replace milling machines and injection molding machines.
I recently finished writing my debut market report on metal 3D printing for 2024, commissioned by VoxelMatters. You can already place your orders for it here.
I bring this up because I know how many metal 3D printers were sold in 2024 and how many have been sold in total throughout history. I can’t share those figures here for free—you’ll need to purchase the report from VoxelMatters to find out (sorry, but that’s how the world works)—but I can share something else.
Those 5,000 EOS 3D printers represent a significant total. And that’s even when you subtract SLS 3D printers, which are included in that figure.
Yes, there aren’t “hundreds of thousands of metal 3D printers” in the world. And there won’t be for quite some time.
The forecasts are promising, and in 8–10 years, the AM industry will be exponentially larger than it is today. But as it stands, 150 machines sold over eight years is still a reason to issue a press release…
Atomic Layer from the Past:
01-17-2018: BCN3D introduced Xavier Martínez Faneca as the new CEO.
News & Gossip:
Makino introduced the AML900, a 5-axis metal 3D printer using Laser Metal Deposition, offering a 900x700x700mm build chamber and up to 4KW laser power. It supports reactive materials like titanium and aluminum.
Seurat appointed Bob Smith, former Blue Origin CEO, to its Board of Directors in January 2025 as its first independent board member.
Yesterday, I mentioned that Bambu Lab released a firmware update for its X1-series 3D printers, enhancing security by introducing authentication to prevent unauthorized access and remote hacks. On the same day, several individuals, including Josef Průša himself, started raising a fuss, claiming it was an attack on user freedom and a potential threat to data security (because, you know, "China steals IP"). In Monday's LinkedIn newsletter, I’ll delve deeper into this issue and separate the informational wheat from the chaff.