3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) reported one of its strongest quarters in recent years, showing signs that the company may finally be moving past the tough slowdown that has weighed on the additive manufacturing (AM) industry. Growth in healthcare, dental, and aerospace helped increase revenue, while aggressive cost-cutting and new product launches helped improve profitability. In this quarter, management pointed out that demand for production-scale 3D printing is starting to return, especially in mission-critical industries like defense and medical devices.
SLA 825 Dual at 3D Systems’ RAPID+TCT 2026 booth. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
The company reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $95.5 million, up 11% year-over-year. Its Healthcare Solutions division revenue grew 21% to $50.1 million, surpassing Industrial Solutions as the company’s largest segment during the quarter. Industrial Solutions revenue reached $45.4 million, up 1.6% year-over-year.
Printer sales, material sales, and parts manufacturing all posted double-digit growth. Metal printing was a major contributor, especially in aerospace and medical applications. The company also reported improving profitability, with adjusted gross margin rising to 36.1% from roughly 30% a year earlier, after adjusting for divestitures. Meanwhile, adjusted EBITDA turned positive this quarter at $2.1 million, while net loss narrowed sharply to $4.4 million, improving by $32.6 million from the same period last year, thanks mainly to lower operating expenses, stronger sales, and a better product mix.
CEO Jeffrey Graves told investors during an earnings call that the quarter is an important turning point for the company and the broader industry.
“The additive manufacturing industry is now beginning to emerge from a multiyear trough, driven largely by global economic and geopolitical challenges that led customers to severely curtail capital spending,” Graves told investors. “It was a bet a few years back that we should hang on to our R&D spend and refresh our portfolio. And it turned out it was a good bet. We refreshed our entire product line in time for 3D printing to start regaining traction in the market.”
Furthermore, Graves stressed that thanks to these moves, “no company in our industry can match this range of technologies nor the product performance that these systems can deliver. While it’s been a painful period, the results can now begin to be seen in our performance, and there’s much more excitement to come.”
Much of the company’s momentum came from healthcare. Medical implant manufacturing, surgical planning services, and metal printer sales all grew strongly during the quarter. Titanium spinal implants and orthopedic implants were especially mentioned as strong demand areas. The company also highlighted growing demand for personalized surgical planning and oncology-related applications.
NextDent 300. Image courtesy of 3D Systems.
Dental was one of the company’s best-performing businesses. 3D Systems said demand grew for both aligner materials and prosthetic dental materials sold under its Vertex brand. Executives also pointed to strong early adoption of the company’s NextDent 300 Jetted Denture Solution, which launched in late 2025.
Graves called the product launch “the most successful new product launch since my arrival at 3D Systems 5 years ago.”
What’s more, the executive said dental labs and dentists have responded positively to the system, with ROE Dental Laboratory becoming the first major U.S. dental lab to deploy a large fleet of the printers across multiple locations. According to Graves, ROE has already expanded its purchases after the initial rollout, tripling its production capacity for high-precision dentures. He also said the product has quickly gained traction because of its faster workflows, easier integration into dental labs, and strong acceptance from dentists and patients. The company also recently secured European regulatory approval for the system ahead of schedule, expanding the market opportunity globally. 3D Systems said the platform now targets more than 60 million edentulous patients globally.
Jeffrey Graves speaks at AMS 2025. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
Defense and aerospace also continued to gain importance for the company. 3D Systems expects aerospace and defense revenue to grow by more than 20% this year, reaching roughly $35 million in 2026. The company said demand is being driven by satellite components, turbine blades, propulsion systems, drones, and naval applications.
To support that growth, 3D Systems is expanding its Littleton, Colorado, manufacturing site by 80,000 square feet, focused on metal parts production. The expansion is expected to open later this summer.
Executives repeatedly stressed that the AM market still “remains volatile,” especially given ongoing geopolitical tensions and supply chain issues. However, Graves said he feels more optimistic than he has in years.
“I feel good about things for the first time in a few years,” he told investors.
For the second quarter, 3D Systems expects revenue between $93 million and $95 million, while forecasting an adjusted EBITDA loss of $2 million to $4 million, partly due to normal seasonal healthcare trends.
Investors reacted positively to the results. Following the earnings announcement, 3D Systems shares jumped more than 20% in trading, going from around $2.47 before the report to roughly $2.51 afterward and rising even more three days later, reaching $3.28.