Current Consumption in the 3D Printing Market

Consumer Trends in the 3D Printing Market

In recent years, 3D printing technology has been widely used and rapidly developing, especially in the consumer market. The global 3D printing market is growing at a double-digit CAGR. According to the latest report, the market size is expected to exceed USD 30 billion by 2024-2025. Chinese 3D printing brands are opening up the overseas consumer-grade 3D printing market with industrial-grade quality, showing strong market growth potential. UJOYBIO 3D printing materials, utilizing its core polymer technology, produces advanced PLA+ filaments, and as a 3D filament material manufacturer with core R&D technology in China, it is relying on excellent reputation, especially in the industries of home, studio and school education, to quickly won the favor of the market.

Material Types in the 3D Printing Market

Consumers and businesses are shifting their choice of 3D printing materials from being purely cost-oriented to being both performance and environmentally friendly. This includes concerns about strength, heat resistance, biocompatibility and environmental impact.

UJOYBIO3D Polymer particles for 3D printing materials

Currently, the commonly used materials for civilian use in the 3D printing market include ABS, PETG, TPU, and PLA and PLA+, etc. Through the following table, we analyze and compare the characteristics of various materials:

Strict environmental requirements in Europe and the United States

Polymer particles for 3D printing materials

The strict requirements for environmental protection in Europe and the United States are reflected in the plastic pollution control, carbon neutrality targets and the promotion of the circular economy, through legislation, policy incentives and market orientation, to encourage the use of biodegradable and recyclable materials.PLA+, as a biobased environmentally friendly material, because of its compliance with the requirements of biodegradability and low carbon, has shown broad prospects in the European and American markets under the dual drive of policy support and consumer demand. However, its wide application still needs to address the constraints of cost and degradation conditions. It is mainly reflected in the following points:

1 Support for degradable materials

Biodegradable materials such as PLA are given R&D funding, tax incentives or market access support. Consumers' environmental awareness is enhanced to promote the adoption of biodegradable and recyclable materials by enterprises.

2 Corporate responsibility

Regulations require companies to take responsibility for the full life cycle of their products, promoting manufacturers to choose sustainable materials. Brands demonstrate their environmental responsibility through environmental certifications (e.g., EU Ecolabel, U.S. EPA certification).

3 Stringent environmental certifications and standards

The EU has strict requirements for the degradation performance and recycling rate of environmentally friendly materials, such as the EN 13432 standard (biodegradation certification). The U.S. has an ASTM standard (D6400) for evaluating the performance of degradable materials under composting conditions.

4 Reducing carbon footprint

Carbon tax and carbon emission limitation policies have prompted companies to adopt low-carbon materials, and PLA+ is gaining attention as a low-carbon option.

Will environmentally friendly PLA+ filament materials be the future?

As a biodegradable material, PLA+ has the advantages of being environmentally friendly, odorless, and inexpensive, making it suitable for indoor printing, and it has a wide range of applications, especially in the fields of education and rapid prototyping. In the future, with the continuous updating of material technology, 3D printing materials will continue to optimize their properties, such as strength, toughness, weather resistance, etc., to meet the needs of different application scenarios.PLA+, with its good environmental characteristics and ease of use, will have considerable competitiveness in the future in the education and home market, in specific industrial applications, and in policy-driven markets.

1 Advantages of PLA+'s future potential

PLA's biodegradability and renewability make it in line with global environmental trends, especially dominant in regions with strict environmental regulations such as the EU. Low printing temperatures and a friendly printing experience make PLA the first choice for beginners and educational users. The emergence of modified PLA makes up for the shortcomings of traditional PLA in terms of strength and heat resistance. Global policies to restrict single-use plastics and promote green economy will further boost the PLA market.

2 Performance Challenges of PLA+

The heat resistance and mechanical properties of PLA are still lower than those of engineering plastics such as ABS and PETG, making it difficult to meet industrial applications with high strength and heat resistance requirements. Despite the declining cost of PLA, price competition with low-end ABS and other emerging materials is still fierce.PLA needs to be fully degraded under industrial composting conditions, which may be difficult to achieve in some regions.

3 PLA+ Technology Improvement Possibilities

PLA+ materials can be improved by adding fibers (e.g., carbon or glass fibers), fillers, or synthetic polymers to enhance the mechanical properties, heat resistance, and electrical conductivity of PLA+, which has become a key focus of materials research and development. Developing a closed-loop recycling system for PLA+ filaments makes it more economically and environmentally attractive.

Is UJOYBIO3D's Hyper PLA+ filament the best choice for environmentally friendly printing materials?

6 Advantageous Features of UJOYBIO3D Hyper PLA+ Filament

UJOYBIO3D manufacturer's R&D team produces advanced polymer pellet technology. Compared with ordinary PLA+ materials, Hyper PLA+ has improved tensile strength and elongation at break through formulation optimization and modification technology, and is suitable for a wider range of application scenarios, including highly loaded models and functional parts. Hyper PLA+ Filament has been processed with thermal stability enhancement, which keeps it dimensionally stable at Hyper PLA+ Filament is treated with enhanced thermal stability to maintain dimensional stability at higher temperatures, making it suitable for industrial and outdoor applications.

Hyper PLA+ is based on renewable resources such as corn starch, reducing dependence on petroleum resources. Provides a low carbon footprint material solution that meets the stringent environmental and low carbon requirements in Europe and the US.

With its high strength, heat resistance, low warpage and environmental advantages, Hyper PLA+ Filament is a consistent performer from prototyping to functional part production and printing of aesthetic decorations. It has become a 3D printing filament material that combines performance and sustainability to stand out from the competition in the market.