2026: Additive Manufacturing Resets – and Reshapes

As the additive manufacturing sector enters 2026, the landscape looks markedly different from even a year ago. Turbulence in 2025 reshaped competitive dynamics and accelerated adoption in key industrial applications.

A Look Back Before We Look Ahead

Few in the additive-manufacturing sector will look back on 2025 without acknowledging how turbulent it was. The first half of the year marked the formal bankruptcy of Zortrax , sharemarket delisting of MarkForged (acquired by NanoDimension), the collapse and restructuring of Desktop Metal, and a strategic retreat by Ultimaker, now focused on Defence and specialist niches. For once-dominant Western brands, the market reset was unforgiving.

Yet by mid-2025, momentum had started to shift. Several sectors — defence, aerospace, and contract manufacturing — began accelerating additive adoption again, buoyed by geopolitical pressures and reshoring efforts. Formnext 2025 marked a turning point in sentiment, with packed halls, a surge of product launches, and a renewed focus on real-world industrial applications.

“I've just gotten out of the Q3 reporting cycle with 16 portfolio companies, from 6 different countries, on 3 different continents, and I can say the mood has changed in the last 4 months, significantly… there are so many other applications in the making, and gigantic projects in the making which are going to lead into gigantic orders in the next 2 quarters to come.”

The Rise of the Rest: OEM Disruption From the East

One of the least-discussed but most consequential shifts underway is the redefinition of the competitive field — especially the rise of Chinese OEMs into segments long dominated by American and European incumbents.

For years, brands such as Creality and Anycubic were seen as producers of affordable desktop units, often occupying the hobbyist or “entry-level” segment. But that changed in 2025.

Nowhere is this clearer than in the prosumer space, where BambuLab’s explosive rise and Creality’s K Series have upended expectations for print speed, reliability, and software integration — all at sub-$2,000 price points.

These brands are not just competing on cost — they’re leading on firmware integration, hardware acceleration, and smart features that were once exclusive to high-end Western systems.

As Pawel Slusarczyk noted in 3D Printing War Journal #65, Chinese manufacturers now dominate the sub-$2,500 printer category, accounting for 95% of shipments in Q1 2025.

Desktop Disrupted — Now Comes the Industrial Challenge

That momentum isn’t staying confined to desktop systems. 2025 saw Raise3D (another China-based manufacturer long active in FDM) launch its first SLS system — directly challenging the FormLabs Fuse1+ , widely regarded as the standard-bearer of affordable powder-bed fusion.

The Raise3D SLS machine, the RMS220, enters at a similar price band, but with faster scan speeds, open materials capability, and larger build volume. As more labs and service bureaus look to diversify powder materials — especially Nylon and TPU variants — this offering brings much-needed optionality.

“The Raise3D RMS220, offers nearly double the build volume and higher throughput, than the Fuse1+, at a marginally lower capital cost — challenging the accepted price/performance matrix of just a few years ago.”

This is no longer about price competition. It’s feature-for-feature competition — and it’s real.

Pellet Printing: The Final Frontier?

Meanwhile, on the large-format FDM side, another frontier is opening: Pellet Extrusion (FGF). Long the domain of ultra-high-end platforms from companies such as 3D Systems and Arbug, pellet extrusion has been touted for its material cost advantages, throughput, and sustainability potential.

At FormNext 2025 in November, it seemed like there was almost as many pellet providers as metal powders. One side of the PolyMaker stand was devoted to their new PolyCore pellet range.

2026 now sees this capability reach a broader market. The new Mingda Mextru1300 — previewed in late 2025 and launching globally in Q1 — offers true industrial-scale pellet extrusion at a fraction of the historical entry price.

Early benchmarks suggest that the Mextru1300 competes credibly against machines five to ten times its price. Compared to traditional filament-fed systems, pellet feeding allows for lower material cost, continuous high-speed extrusion, and compatibility with a growing library of engineering-grade thermoplastics.

While long-term reliability and materials certification remain areas to watch, the potential for lower part costs and faster extrusion is attracting serious industrial interest.

From Centralised to Fragmented Innovation

All of this points to a broader trend: innovation in additive manufacturing is no longer centralised. In 2020, a dozen firms dictated the roadmap. In 2026, it’s fragmented but fast-moving — with new entrants pushing into powder-bed fusion, composite extrusion, pellet systems, and AI-driven print optimisation.

For resellers, labs, and end users, this presents a challenge: vetting new technology is harder. But it also brings a critical benefit — choice.

As applications and business use cases expand (custom tooling, short-run end-use parts, metal-polymer hybrids), so does the value of having non-monopoly options — especially from credible upstarts.

2026 Outlook: Consolidation Meets Expansion

Expect 2026 to be a dual-speed year:

• At the top: continued consolidation. Large incumbents may retreat further from entry markets, double down on targeted applications and enterprise software, or seek regional manufacturing alliances.
• At the bottom and middle: expansion. Vocational institutions, regional fab labs, and mid-size manufacturers will gain access to tools with features once out of reach — thanks to declining costs and new entrants.

And in the middle? Expect to see Chinese OEMs continuing to climb, no longer merely following — but shaping — the roadmap.