India emerging a major market for 3D printers: Gartner

India, with its local manufacturing community, had in the last 12 months, emerged as a major manufacturer of local 3D printers. The potential for 3D printing in India with remote printing of products could also be huge with local manufacturing becoming a reality, according to research firm Gartner.

It could also help in the recycling of household plastic waste for feeding the printers. according to the research firm.

Gartner said the number of printers that would be sold in the region would outpace the numbers in the other regions by several hundred thousand units.

Zalak Shah, research analyst at Gartner said, India had a very vibrant 'maker' community, and many new entrants and hobbyists were developing 3D printer variations based on the open source RepRap initiative.

Global shipments of 3D printers priced less than $100,000 are projected to grow 49 per cent in 2013, to reach 56,507 units in total, according to a Gartner forecast.

The consumer and enterprise demand would be driven by rapid quality and performance innovations across all 3DP technologies, Gartner said, adding that shipments would increase further in 2014, growing 75 per cent to 98,065 units, followed by a near doubling of unit shipments in 2015.

According to Pete Basiliere, research director at Gartner, the 3D printer market had reached its inflection point. While the market was still nascent with hype outpacing technical realities, the speed of development and rise in buyer interest were pressing hardware, software and service providers to offer easier-to-use tools and materials that produced consistently high-quality results, he added.

In 2013, combined end-user spending on 3DPs would touch $412 million, up 43 per cent from $288 million in 2012.

Enterprise spending would exceed more than $325 million in 2013, while the consumer segment would touch $87 million. The year 2014, would see spending shoot 62 per cent, reaching $669 million, with enterprise spending of $536 million and consumer spending of $133 million, according to Gartner.

The research firm said, over the next one-and-a-half years, consumers would shift from being curious about the technology to finding reasons for a purchase.

The technology has found ready acceptance mostly in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific regions, which account for most of the units sold, according to Gartner.