After a few rough years, the mood among additive manufacturing executives is shifting. Not euphoric, but noticeably better.
New data from the 3D Printing Industry Executive Survey shows that 70.3 per cent of respondents expect business conditions in 2026 to be favourable or very favourable. That’s a meaningful jump from 51.2 per cent who looked back on 2025 positively. The “very favourable” camp more than doubled (from 9.2 per cent to 20.3 per cent), and the share expecting unfavourable conditions collapsed from 20 per cent to just 6.3 per cent.
Those are striking numbers. But spend time with the open-ended responses from executives, and a more complicated picture emerges.
Read previous articles in the 2026 3D Printing Industry Executive Survey
3D Printing Trends: Executive Summary
The Future of 3D Printing: 2026 Edition
3D Printing Industry Long Range Forecast
Internal confidence lags improving external outlook
Inside companies, the mood is improving more slowly. 64.1 per cent of respondents expect favourable or very favourable operating conditions in 2026, up from 50.8 per cent who rated 2025 positively in hindsight. Nearly 30 per cent are still sitting in the neutral camp: not pessimistic, but not ready to expand headcount or open the capital expenditure tap either.
Customer education and qualification remain persistent bottlenecks
Source: 3D Printing Industry
