3D printing stocks are shares of companies that make 3D printers, materials, or provide printing services. The industry, also called additive manufacturing, boomed in the early 2010s, then cooled as hype outpaced results. But 3D printing is far from dead. Today it’s a fast-growing niche reshaping manufacturing. The market was valued at $19.3 billion in 2024 and is projected to surpass $100 billion by 2032.
This growth trajectory reflects 3D printing’s expanding role across multiple sectors. From healthcare to industrials, businesses are embracing additive manufacturing technology to reduce production costs, localize manufacturing, and accelerate the time it takes to deliver customer orders. What began as a tool primarily for prototyping has evolved into production-grade manufacturing capable of creating end-use parts for aerospace, automotive, medical devices, and consumer products.
Under the umbrella of 3D printing stocks, different companies occupy distinct niches within the industry. Hardware companies design and manufacture the actual 3D printers and related equipment. Materials suppliers provide the resins, metals, and polymers which form the basis of additive manufacturing. Software and design solution providers offer tools to assist customers in using 3D printing solutions. Service-based companies provide on-demand prototyping and production services.
Investing in 3D printing stocks carries both opportunity and risk. The compelling reasons to invest include strong growth potential as businesses from various sectors embrace the technology, portfolio diversification benefits, and the likelihood that continued innovation will create new applications. However, risks include questionable profitability as many industry leaders have experienced prolonged periods of net losses, potential shareholder dilution if companies must raise capital through equity issuance, and intense competition with more than 23,000 3D printing companies operating worldwide.
When evaluating which 3D printing stocks fit a portfolio, several criteria matter. Investors should look for companies growing revenue—failure to expand the top line represents a red flag. Companies should show progress toward profitability, even if they haven’t achieved it yet. Balance sheets shouldn’t be weighed down with debt that could impede research and development spending. Strong intellectual property provides competitive advantages that help companies maintain market position.
Three stocks represent different business models within the 3D printing ecosystem, each with distinct growth trajectories, profitability profiles, and market positioning as the industry expands toward its projected $100 billion valuation.
Xometry Inc. (XMTR) operates a marketplace for on-demand manufacturing of prototyping and mass production, currently trading around $54 with a $3.3 billion market cap. The company completed its initial public offering in summer 2021, raising almost $350 million in cash.
Xometry has a network of more than 4,375 suppliers that companies can call on to meet their fabrication needs. Among the suppliers on the Xometry platform are 3D printing companies, injection molding, and automated machining operations. The company reported having more than 78,000 active buyers utilizing its platform at the end of the third quarter 2025, a 21% year-over-year increase.
The marketplace model differentiates Xometry from traditional 3D printing hardware manufacturers. Rather than selling equipment or providing services directly, Xometry connects buyers with a network of manufacturing suppliers, taking a cut of each transaction. This asset-light approach allows rapid scaling without the capital expenditures required to build manufacturing capacity.
Xometry’s unique approach to the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry is growing fast. From 2021 to 2024, the number of customers with accounts that have spent more than $50,000 during the prior 12-month period grew at a 28% compound annual growth rate.
The company achieved record quarterly revenue of $181 million in Q3 2025. It wasn’t only the top of the income statement where the company impressed. Xometry also reported a record quarterly gross profit of $72 million, representing a more than 29% year-over-year increase.
Although Xometry isn’t profitable yet, the company is demonstrating the ability to grow both revenue and gross profit at healthy rates. The progression toward profitability matters more than current losses for fast-growing technology platforms still in expansion mode. As the business scales and operating leverage improves, the path to profitability should become clearer.
Stratasys Ltd. (SSYS) was part of the early 2010s 3D printing stock boom and bust, but its business has endured, currently trading around $11 with a $959.2 million market cap. Management is looking to strengthen the company’s financial health with a cost-savings initiative that is showing success. In the third quarter of 2025, Stratasys reported an adjusted net income margin of 1.1%, an expansion from the 0.3% adjusted net income margin it reported during the same period in 2024.
Stratasys serves a diverse set of customers, including aerospace and automotive parts manufacturers, medical and dental companies, and makers of basic consumer products. These relationships aren’t superficial. Stratasys has a partnership with General Motors that has lasted over two decades, demonstrating the depth and stickiness of customer relationships in industrial 3D printing.
The company took a major step in diversifying its offerings in November 2025, when it began a partnership with Tritone Technologies—a collaboration that diversifies Stratasys’ business to now offer industrial metal 3D printing solutions. In addition to a wide array of 3D printer models, Stratasys develops software to help users accelerate the time between design and final printing.
It isn’t the highest-growth name in 3D printing, but the company expects stronger operating cash flow in 2025, and its balance sheet remains strong, boasting a net cash position of $255 million as of September 30, 2025. This financial strength provides stability and flexibility to invest in product development and strategic partnerships without facing the capital constraints that plague less-established competitors.
Stratasys represents the hardware segment of 3D printing—companies that design and manufacture the actual printers and related equipment. This capital-intensive business model requires significant R&D investment to develop new printer models and maintain technological competitiveness, but successful hardware companies build recurring revenue streams through material sales, maintenance contracts, and software subscriptions.
The company’s survival through the industry’s boom-bust cycle of the early 2010s demonstrates business resilience. Many 3D printing companies that went public during that period failed or were acquired at distressed valuations. Stratasys endured by maintaining customer relationships, continuing product development, and managing costs through the downturn.
PTC Inc. (PTC) is by far the largest company in 3D printing with an $18.5 billion market cap, currently trading around $151. PTC is a longtime technology partner of manufacturing and industrial enterprises. The company reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $2.74 billion and $857 million in free cash flow. Highly profitable, PTC reported fiscal 2025 earnings per share of $6.14, and it projects fiscal 2026 EPS of $4.37 to $6.87.
Besides 3D printing computer-aided design software, PTC specializes in augmented reality, industrial IoT (Internet of Things), and product lifecycle management software. Most of its revenue is subscription-based, including its Creo software that enables 3D printing, making for a stable and steadily growing business model that generates ample cash flow. PTC puts spare cash to work developing new products for its partners and makes bolt-on acquisitions of other software companies that enhance its overall portfolio.
PTC represents the software and design solution provider segment of 3D printing stocks. These companies offer tools to assist customers in using 3D printing solutions but don’t manufacture hardware or provide manufacturing services directly. The software model typically generates higher margins than hardware because there’s no cost of goods sold for physical products and limited incremental costs to serve additional customers.
As a larger company, PTC won’t be the fastest-growing stock in the additive manufacturing and 3D printing space. However, the company has established itself as a leader in industrial technology and should be a primary beneficiary as the production of manufactured goods gets more efficient.
The profitability profile differentiates PTC from smaller 3D printing stocks. Many companies in the sector are unprofitable or marginally profitable, while PTC generates substantial earnings and free cash flow. This financial strength allows the company to invest in R&D, make acquisitions, and return capital to shareholders through buybacks—capabilities that unprofitable competitors lack.
PTC’s diversification beyond pure 3D printing also reduces risk. While 3D printing represents an important part of the business through Creo software, PTC’s broader portfolio of industrial software products means the company isn’t entirely dependent on 3D printing adoption rates. This diversification provides stability if any single technology segment faces headwinds.
These three stocks represent different business models within 3D printing. Xometry offers a marketplace connecting buyers with manufacturing suppliers, growing rapidly but not yet profitable. Stratasys provides hardware solutions with improving profitability and strong balance sheet position. PTC delivers software tools with high profitability and diversification across industrial technologies.
The industry recovery from the early 2010s boom-bust cycle is evident in these companies’ approaches. Rather than chasing hype, they’re focused on sustainable business models, cost discipline, and serving real customer needs. The $19.3 billion market in 2024 represents actual commercial adoption rather than speculative excitement, and the projection to exceed $100 billion by 2032 reflects genuine technological progress and expanding applications.
Manufacturing technology is making inroads throughout the global economy by reducing the cost of production and localizing and speeding up the time it takes to deliver customer orders. This is far from mere hype. Nevertheless, as is the case with all technology investments, progress won’t go straight up. Expect twists and turns in these stocks as they develop new methods to design and make products.
If you decide to invest, do so in a measured way. Maintain a diversified portfolio, be wary of stocks benefiting from investor over-optimism, and always leave spare cash to invest more when there are inevitable dips. Given enough time—years and decades—investing in 3D printing could eventually provide a big payoff.
