I was invited to contribute to the 3D Printing Industry 2026 Executive Survey. Based on what I see daily in the personal and prosumer market, here is my perspective on where 3D printing is heading:

AI generators made a noticeable leap last year, and in 2026, this trend will continue with further optimization and wider adoption. What is especially interesting is how quickly chat-based AI tools are starting to generate simple, printable 3D models. While still basic, these tools are already lowering the barrier to entry, and in 2026 we will see more users actively relying on AI not just for ideas, but for producing usable starting points for 3D printing.

Another trend that will clearly carry over into 2026 is the success of tool-changer systems in the personal and prosumer 3D printing segment. What proved itself in 2025 will not be ignored by the wider market. More brands are expected to introduce their own versions, as the benefits are difficult to overlook: significant material waste reduction, faster multi-material workflows.

Finally, toward the end of 2025, we saw increasing investor confidence and substantial funding flowing into Chinese personal 3D printing companies. While 2026 may still be too early to judge the full impact, it is reasonable to expect the first results of this investment. It can be seen as faster product iteration, tighter hardware-software integration, or more aggressive market expansion.

Full article with other industry voices:

https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/the-future-of-3d-printing-additive-manufacturing-expert-forecasts-for-2026-249050/

Thank you, Michael Petch, Oscar Milani Gallieni, and Nick Stent, for organizing this again.

The 2nd 3DPI Executive Survey 2026: What does 3D printing look like in 2036?

In addition to the 2026 forecast, I also shared my 5–10 year outlook on where personal 3D printing may be heading by 2036:

As we have already witnessed, investor confidence and substantial funding are flowing into Chinese personal 3D printing companies, and the next five to ten years will likely reveal the full impact of these investments. This may translate into faster innovation cycles. The scale of current investment suggests that long-term structural shifts in the personal 3D printing market are inevitable.
As a similar shift has already happened in the 3D scanning industry, where industrial-grade scanners have gradually become affordable for prosumers, and we are now seeing comparable trends in 3D printing, with industrial technologies such as SLS moving toward more compact, desktop-scale systems.
AI is also expected to play a much more practical role in everyday 3D printing workflows. In particular, slicer software will become significantly easier to use, with AI-driven systems actively preventing common user errors. For the personal market, automated error avoidance, smarter material handling, and predictive adjustments are likely to become the norm rather than premium features, lowering the barrier to reliable printing.

Full article with other industry voices:

https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/the-future-of-3d-printing-the-end-of-additive-manufacturing-249099/