3D Printed Packaging Market - Forecast(2023 - 2028)

3D Printed Packaging Market Overview

3D Printed Packaging Market size is forecast to reach US$3.7 billion by 2026, after growing at a CAGR of 17.3% during 2021-2026. 3D printers can streamline prototyping processes in plastic packaging design. The technology is capable of fabricating models in almost all shapes while a wide range of filaments can be used to imitate a variety of target materials. Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is one of the most versatile Plastic materials available for 3D printing today. The 3D Printing process used with ABS is an Additive Manufacturing(AM) process such as FDM (Fusion Deposition modelling) process, where the material is heated and squeezed through a fine nozzle to build the design. In metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) Inert gases such as Argon and Nitrogen oxide are necessary to deliver the necessary powder quality, so that it flows smoothly and evenly inside the 3D printer. Photopolymerization is the curing process that uses ultraviolet (UV) light in 3D printing to cure the deposited material. Curing results in physical changes to the deposited material, turning it from a liquid or semi-solid state to a solid state so that it is stronger and better protected against damage while packaging. Because of the adoption of technological advancement and feasibility in packaging, 3D Printed Packaging Market has huge potential to grow in the forecast period.

COVID-19 Impact

Due to Covid-19 there was a mixed impact on the packaging industry. Self-isolation rules have resulted in short supply and event cancellations, and supply chains are looking to move to source away. Stocks have been in danger of running short. Relocating supply chains was a challenge. The coronavirus crisis led to some of the sharpest declines in recent times in demand for certain types of packaging while accelerating growth for others such as packaging for e-commerce shipments that are emerging as lifelines in this new world. The Demand for packaging for groceries, healthcare products is rising. At the same time, demand for industrial, luxury, and some B2B-transport packaging could decline. The impact on packaging players will depend on their portfolios and exposures to different regions, end uses for packaging. As the pandemic loses its grip on certain regions, packaging demand in those regions is likely to move up and overcome the economic crisis gradually.

Report Coverage

The report: “3D Printed Packaging Market– Forecast (2021-2026)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the “3D Printed Packaging Market".
By Printing Method: Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Digital Light Process (DLP), ?Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), ?PolyJet, ?Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), ?Electron Beam Melting (EBM)
By End-Use Industry: Food and Beverage, Personal care and Cosmetic Product Packaging,?Medical Product and Pharmaceutical Packaging, Others
By Geography: North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Belgium, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Rest of APAC), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Rest of South America), Rest of the World (Middle East, and Africa)

Key Takeaways

• Asia-Pacific dominates the 3D Printed Packaging Market, owing to the increasing FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods)Packaging industry in the region.
• 3D Printed Packaging enables brands to offer personalized packaging for customers. This might range from choosing from a set of series of different design options, or completely custom-designed according to the customer's needs. This could include everything from changing the label on a product to tweaking the actual packaging design for the individual.
• Several companies use 3D printing to construct packaging prototypes, molds for thermoforming parts, and making prototypes of packaging machinery parts.
• Many pharmaceutical companies use their 3D printers to construct functional prototypes to manufacture robotic arms used in production. Therefore, 3D printing is anticipated to positively impact packaging machinery manufacturers.
• 3D printing is also a boon to the industry, especially the food & beverage industry, as an aid to custom and personalized packaging solutions, thus the market sees a potential growth in the forecast period.

Figure: Asia-Pacific 3D Printed Packaging Market Revenue, 2020-2026 (US$ Billion)

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Stereolithography (SLA) segment held the largest share in the 3D Printed Packaging market in 2020 and is growing at a CAGR of 5.3% during 2021-2026. SLA is one of three primary technologies adopted in 3D printing, together with fused deposition modeling (FDM) and selective laser sintering (SLS). Stereolithography (SL) is an industrial 3D printing process used to create concept models, cosmetic - rapid prototypes, and complex parts with intricate geometries. Stereolithography parts can be produced in a wide selection of materials, extremely high feature resolutions, and quality surface finishes are possible with SL. It works by using a high-powered laser to harden liquid resin that is contained in a reservoir to create the desired 3D shape. In a nutshell, this process converts photosensitive liquid into 3D solid plastics in a layer-by-layer fashion using a low-power laser and photo polymerization. Thus the sustainability of 3D printing processes can aid to better 3D printing packaging and thus grow the market.

3D Printed Packaging Market Segment Analysis – By End-Use Industry

Food and Beverage Packaging segment held the largest share in the 3D Printed Packaging Market in 2020 and is growing at a CAGR of 6.4% during 2021-2026. According to Smithers Pira In 2019 the total value of the packaging globally will be $917 billion. The comprehensive research employed in the Future of Global Packaging to 2024, shows that packaging demand will grow steadily at 2.8% to reach $1.05 trillion in 2024. Smart Cups, launched a unique range of energy drinks, where the 3D-printed biodegradable cups look like plastic, but actually have the energy drink ingredients contained within the packaging. The customer just has to add water to release them. The packaging will even self-stir the drink to ensure it is properly mixed. Smart Cups is working on cups that make hot, cold and even fizzy drinks so the options look set to rapidly expand. Thus due to the vast usage of 3D printing in Packaging with technological advancement, the market is projected to grow in the forecast period.

3D Printed Packaging Market Segment Analysis – By Geography

Asia-Pacific region held the largest share in the 3D Printed Packaging market in 2020 up to 43%, owing to the accelerating FMCG industries in the region. The packaging market in Asia is expanding exponentially on two fronts: local markets are spurring massive growth in the industry and companies with Asian-based manufacturing operations are forging new strategic partnerships in the region. According to York Saw and Knife, the Asia-Pacific region represents the largest and fastest-growing corrugated packaging market in the world, accounting for 53.7% of production and shipments in 2018. Clean and transparent labeling strongly affects the packaging industry’s food sector. More and more U.S. consumers are scanning food packages with their smartphones to find out exactly what they contain. Brands answered the clean and transparent trend in 2020 with the implementation of Smart Label. According to York Saw and Knife,  The United States accounts for approximately US$170 billion in the global packaging market.  The Flexible Packaging Association reports the flexible packaging segment accounts for 19% of the total U.S. packaging market. The 3D Printed Packaging Market is projected to grow owing to the increased investment in the region.  

3D Printed Packaging Market Drivers

Growth in packaging industry:

Growth & potential in consumer packaged goods is very significant in countries such as China and India due to solid demand from the food and Pharmaceutical industries. This is increasing the demand for packaging solutions that are convenient and portable, with the flexible plastics sector with main beneficiary. The growth is driven by key factors such as rising population, increase in income levels, and changing lifestyles. Also, the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector represents the largest opportunity for flexible packaging. Consumers are taking a greater interest in their own health matters, leading to healthier lifestyles. Therefore this is boosting demand for packaged goods, such as healthy foods and beverages such as gluten-free, organic/natural, portion controlled, alongside non-prescription medicines and nutritional supplements.

Rapidly growing e-commerce Sector

The global market for online retailing continues to grow rapidly, driven by penetration of the Internet and smart phones. Consumers are increasingly buying more goods online. This will continue to increase through 2028 and will see an elevated demand for 3D Printed Packaging solutions, especially corrugated board formats that can safely ship goods through the more complex distribution channels. This is simulating an interest in customized or versioned packaging and packaging solutions that can create an impact on them. Digital (inkjet and toner) printing is providing a key means to do this, with higher throughput printers dedicated for packaging substrates now seeing their first installations. This further aligns with the desire for integrated marketing, with packaging providing a gateway to link into social media. Thus, the 3D Printed Packaging Market is growing in the forecast period.

3D Printed Packaging Market Challenges

High Price of 3D Printing Process:

There are a couple of challenges that brands face when personalizing through 3D printing. The first is cost and, whilst 3D printers have come down greatly in price, personalized packaging still costs more than standard formats. The second challenge is that of the need to include certain elements, such as imagery and legally required information. Because of these requirements, consumers cannot be allowed to be in full control of the packaging design. One way around this could be to provide them with a packaging template, or perhaps the choice of templates, with certain aspects that can be personalized before being printed. With 3D printing still very intriguing to consumers, it is expected to see brands experimenting with it in the coming months and creatively make use of this new technology.

3D Printed Packaging MarketLandscape

Technology launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the 3D Printed Packaging market. 3D Printed Packaging top companies include:

1. Stratasys
2. 3D Systems
3. EOS GmbH
4. GE Additive
5. Materialize
6. SLM Solutions
7. ExOne
8. Voxeljet
9. HP
10. EnvisionTEC 

Acquisitions/Technology Launches

• In May 2021, Covestro, introduced its first 3D printing material,a glass-fiber filled recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) for 3D pellet printing. It was developed by the additive manufacturing business recently acquired from DSM.

Relevant Reports:

3D Printing Market – Forecast(2021 - 2026)
Report Code: ESR 0519

3D Printed Packaging Market – Forecast(2021 - 2026)
Report Code: CMR 1399

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