Top 5 Ranked and Used Industry 3D Printers 2018 Report

3D Hubs releases its Q2 report that shows real-world data on which printers are used the most and how high they ranked with the people that use them.

Today tracking data is highly valued. It can help the production flow, maintenance, and business decisions. With online platforms it can be easy to track, but how many companies really take advantage of the information. One company pushing for more data is 3D Hubs. They shared their second-quarter report with Machine Design and the data offers an insight on the highest rated and most used 3D printers both industrial and desktop. The following is from the Digital Manufacturing Trends Q2/2018 report that looked at 6,000 active suppliers who create more than 200,000 parts each quarter.

The report is based on the top 5 rated industrial printers out of 200 printer models listed on 3D Hubs, based on print quality ratings from customer review data. Only printers with more than 30 reviews in the quarter are included in these statistics.

Formiga P 100 SLS printer scores a perfect 5.00 every quarter since the start of 2017. The SLS machine creates parts with a minimum layer height of 60 microns and a build volume = 200 x 250 x 330 mm (about 7.9 x 9.8 x 13 inches).

The HP’s Jet Fusion 3D 4200 machine has jumped from #8 to #2 moving from a 4.75 rating to a 4.95, the MJF technology machine is useful for short-run manufacturing needs thanks to the speed of the process. Moving from #10 in Q1 to #3 is the Objet30 Prime, a PolyJet machine that allows you to combine materials with different properties to create the visual representation of the end product.

The technology spread of the Top 5 has remained the same since Q2 with 60% of the machines using selective laser sintering (SLS) technology. Stereolithography (SLA) has doubled its presence with the Ipro 9000 a new entrant into the top 10 at the ninth position. The top 5 printers are listed here. (Learn more about Additive Manufacturing processes.)