This 2023 stock list is no longer a current investment universe
This article originally reviewed a group of additive manufacturing and 3D-printing stocks using information available in April 2023. It is now preserved as a historical market snapshot.
Several companies in the original list were acquired, taken private, delisted, restructured or materially changed their additive-manufacturing exposure. The original descriptions and ticker references should not be used for current investment decisions.
Examples of changes since publication
| Company from the original article | Material change after the 2023 snapshot |
|---|---|
| SLM Solutions | Nikon completed the squeeze-out and made Nikon SLM Solutions a wholly owned subsidiary in 2023; it is no longer a standalone public AM stock. |
| Fathom Digital Manufacturing | CORE Industrial Partners completed a take-private acquisition in 2024. |
| Desktop Metal | Nano Dimension completed the acquisition in April 2025. Nano Dimension later reported Desktop Metal in discontinued operations following bankruptcy and deconsolidation. |
| Markforged | Nano Dimension completed the acquisition in April 2025 and announced an agreement in May 2026 to sell Markforged to Stratasys. |
| Nano Dimension | The company’s investment case and AM asset structure changed substantially through acquisitions, divestiture plans and a proposed strategic combination. |
These examples are sufficient to make the original static list unsuitable as an evergreen investment guide. Current research must start from today’s ownership, listing, segment reporting and financial statements.
Why “3D-printing stock” is an imprecise category
The original article mixed several fundamentally different exposures:
- Pure-play printer and materials companies
- Digital manufacturing marketplaces and service bureaus
- Software companies with limited AM revenue exposure
- Diversified industrial companies with small AM divisions
- Acquired companies that no longer trade independently
- Companies whose primary value proposition changed after publication
A better investment universe separates companies by business model, AM revenue exposure, value-chain role and ownership of an industrial bottleneck.
The current Addithive classification
| Bucket | What it captures | Primary investor question |
|---|---|---|
| Core or pure-play AM | Companies whose economics depend heavily on additive manufacturing | Can the platform reach durable margins and repeat production? |
| Equipment and process platforms | Printer, deposition and production-system providers | Is installed-base growth converting into recurring revenue? |
| Materials and feedstock | Powder, wire, polymer, resin and specialty-material suppliers | Does qualification create pricing power or switching cost? |
| Software, simulation and digital thread | Design, build preparation, MES, monitoring and quality tools | How material is AM to the wider software business? |
| Services and digital manufacturing | Contract production and manufacturing marketplaces | Can the business generate attractive utilization and gross margins? |
| Post-processing and quality | Heat treatment, HIP, machining, metrology and inspection | Does the company own a constraint that grows with AM adoption? |
| Industrial adopters | Aerospace, medical, dental, energy and automotive users | Does AM create product or cost advantage large enough to affect earnings? |
What investors should verify now
- Current listing and ownership: Confirm ticker, exchange, parent company and transaction status.
- AM revenue exposure: Separate real AM sales from a broad advanced-manufacturing narrative.
- Revenue quality: Distinguish equipment shipments, services, consumables, software and recurring revenue.
- Installed-base economics: Measure utilization, service attachment and material pull-through.
- Cash and dilution: Review burn rate, financing needs and share issuance.
- Customer evidence: Look for qualified production and repeat orders rather than demonstrations.
- Gross margin and scale: Test whether growth improves economics or increases operating losses.
- Bottleneck ownership: Identify whether the company controls software, feedstock, post-processing, qualification or another scarce capability.
- Transaction risk: Account for acquisitions, asset sales, strategic reviews and delisting risk.
- Valuation: A useful AM technology does not automatically make an attractive stock.
Current Addithive research
- 52 Public Additive Manufacturing Companies & Stocks (2026)
- Additive Manufacturing Bottleneck Map
- Stratasys–Markforged Transaction Analysis
- Nano Dimension Strategic Shift Analysis
- Velo3D Defense Expansion Analysis
Primary transaction references
- Nikon — Acquisition and squeeze-out of SLM Solutions
- Fathom — Company timeline including the 2024 take-private transaction
- Nano Dimension — Completion of Desktop Metal acquisition
- Nano Dimension — Desktop Metal discontinued operations disclosure
- Nano Dimension — Announced sale of Markforged to Stratasys
Archive status: This URL is retained for historical reference and existing external links. It is not investment advice or a current stock list.