In 2025, the best-performing 3D printing stocks weren’t mostly the classic Western printer makers. Some of the strongest performers were digital manufacturing platforms and software-intensive players; these are businesses that can grow without depending solely on large hardware purchases, while select industrial hardware companies also stood out in specific markets.

For this roundup, the focus is on well-known, publicly traded 3D printing and digital manufacturing ecosystem companies, looking at how their stocks performed over the course of 2025, using market data from late December.

The Top Performers in 2025

1. Xometry: up 48.64% in 2025

Xometry (Nasdaq: XMTR) finished the year as the strongest performer on this list, with its stock up 48.64% year to date (YTD). Shares were trading near $62.85 as of December 26, 2025.

Xometry’s Gaithersburg, Maryland site. Image courtesy of Xometry.

Xometry is not a printer OEM; it is a manufacturing marketplace (with additive in the mix) and a software/data business. That matters because investors usually prefer platform and software companies to hardware-only businesses.

Additionally, the results supported the story. Xometry reported record Q3 2025 revenue of about $181 million, up 28% year-over-year, driven by marketplace growth. The company also posted strong Q2 and Q3 updates during the year, which helped keep its momentum alive. Investors liked Xometry because it looked like a scaling marketplace business, with strong revenue growth, rather than a slow “sell more machines” approach.

2. Protolabs: up 35.81% in 2025

Protolabs (NYSE: PRLB) was one of the strongest performers in this group in 2025, with its stock up 35.81% YTD. Shares were trading near $52.88 in late December.

Metal 3D printing. Image courtesy of Protolabs.

Protolabs is also not a pure 3D printer maker. It’s a digital manufacturing company, offering not only 3D printing services, but also CNC and other processes. This means that if one part of the business slows down, the others can help balance it out. What’s more, the company’s third-quarter update made it easier to see how the rest of the year might look. Companies that deliver parts quickly and have repeat customers often appeal to investors. Protolabs did well because it doesn’t rely only on selling printers.

3. Farsoon Technologies

Farsoon (Shanghai: 688433) stood out as one of the strongest-performing publicly traded 3D printing companies in 2025. Its shares rose sharply on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, pointing to strong investor interest in industrial additive manufacturing in China.

FS811M-U system equipped with 10 × 1.000 W beam-shaping lasers and 1.7 m build height. Image courtesy of Farsoon.

Farsoon focuses on polymer and metal systems for industrial additive manufacturing. Its shares traded mostly above ¥50 ($7.11) in late December 2025, and the stock rose well over 100% on the year, making it one of the strongest-performing publicly traded 3D printing companies globally in 2025.

Farsoon works closely with industrial manufacturing in China, where investment remained strong in 2025. That helped support the stock.

Stocks That Held Steady in 2025

1. Stratasys

In 2025, Stratasys (Nasdaq: SSYS) stock finished the year somewhat flat, avoiding the sharper declines seen in some earlier periods. While it didn’t have a breakout year in the markets, Stratasys remained a key player in the industry, with a large customer base and a continued focus on industrial and professional users. The stock didn’t jump in 2025, but it held steady roughly between $8.12 and $12.88 in a tough year for hardware companies.

2. Bright Laser Technologies (BLT)

BLT (Shanghai: 688333) also had a busy but more uneven year in the stock market than its peer, Farsoon. The shares showed periods of big interest, along with ups and downs, pointing to both excitement around metal 3D printing and broader market moves. BLT remains an important player in laser-based metal additive manufacturing, but its stock performance in 2025 was less consistent than Farsoon’s, placing it closer to the “held steady” group rather than the top performers.

AM-adjacent stocks that stood out in 2025

These companies aren’t usually seen as “pure” 3D printing stocks, but they play an important role in the additive manufacturing ecosystem through materials, software, simulation, scanning, and production workflows.

1. Autodesk

Autodesk (Nasdaq: ADSK) isn’t a 3D printing company, but its CAD, simulation, and manufacturing software sits at the center of how parts are designed for additive manufacturing. 3DPrint.com visited Autodesk’s Technology Center in Boston this year and saw firsthand how widely 3D printing is used across the facility.

Autodesk benefited from its role as a key software platform with long-term customers, including many that use 3D printing alongside other manufacturing methods. Investors liked Autodesk because it’s the software backbone behind modern manufacturing, including AM.

Adam Day at Autodesk’s Technology Center, ground floor. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.

2. Renishaw

Renishaw (LSE: RSW) is one of the few companies that really connects metrology and metal additive manufacturing, with deep experience in precision engineering. Its strength comes from serving high-end industrial and aerospace customers, where accuracy and repeatability matter more than hype. Renishaw isn’t chasing volume; it’s focused on precision, which still matters in demanding AM applications.

3. Sandvik

Sandvik (STO: SAND) isn’t a 3D printer manufacturer, but it plays an important role in metal additive manufacturing. The company supplies metal powders, materials, and industrial tooling used in AM production. Sandvik’s focus on industrial customers and production-quality materials means it benefits from the growth of additive manufacturing without relying on selling printers. In 2025, Sandvik’s stock performed steadily on the Stockholm exchange, pointing to continued investor confidence in the company’s industrial business.

Sandvik metal powder plant. Image courtesy of Sandvik.

What this list says about 3D printing in 2025

In 2025, the market showed a preference for 3D printing businesses that ran more like software and service businesses than hardware-only sellers. Other well-known 3D printer manufacturers had a more mixed year in the markets, pointing to ongoing challenges tied to selling machines and large customer purchases.

Printer manufacturers continue to be a core part of the AM landscape. In 2025 though, investors focused more heavily on parts of the additive manufacturing ecosystem that delivered more predictable revenue, like software, services, and repeat customer demand.

Looking at these companies along with traditional 3D printing stocks makes it clear that the value of additive manufacturing is not just limited to 3D printers.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

Articles tagged with "3DPrinting, Stocks, Investing"

3D Printing Stocks in 2025: Performance and Market Trends

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