Top 3D Printing Stocks to Buy Now for Solid Long-Term Returns

An updated edition of the January 27, 2026 article.

3D Printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has fundamentally reshaped product design and fabrication. Since its emergence in the 1980s, this technology has specialized in converting digital blueprints into tangible items by constructing them one layer at a time, providing exceptional levels of accuracy, personalization and operational speed.

Originally limited to basic prototyping, 3D printing has matured into a robust, scalable production method used for everything from medical prosthetics and flight-ready aerospace components to architectural models and consumer goods. In contrast to traditional subtractive manufacturing, this approach significantly reduces waste while facilitating complex geometries that were previously impossible to create.

Businesses are pivoting toward 3D printing for both rapid prototyping and on-demand fabrication, drawn by its superior cost-effectiveness and sustainability profile compared with legacy methods. By localizing production, companies can trim their supply chains and reduce freight expenses. On-demand manufacturing also eliminates the need to maintain large inventories, which aids industries with seasonal demand or urgent spare-part requirements. Industry leaders like Xometry XMTR, Proto Labs PRLB and Stratasys SSYS continue to spearhead technological breakthroughs in this space.

Adoption is accelerating across key sectors, including healthcare, aerospace, automotive and consumer goods. In aerospace, the technology is used to produce lightweight yet durable aircraft and spacecraft components. The automotive industry relies on 3D printing for prototyping, tooling and customized parts. In healthcare, it enables the production of patient-specific medical devices and prosthetics, with ongoing advances in tissue and organ printing holding the potential to reshape modern medicine.

From a geographic standpoint, North America maintains the largest market presence with more than 35% share, fueled by robust research spending, government initiatives and advanced manufacturing infrastructure. The Asia-Pacific region, led by China and India, is aggressively expanding adoption to enhance industrial competitiveness.

We believe that 3D Printing offers compelling growth opportunities for investors, supported by its expanding addressable market and strong innovation pipeline.

Our 3D Printing Screen makes it easy to identify high-potential stocks. Currently, stocks like Proto Labs, ATI Inc. ATI, Carpenter Technology CRS, NVIDIA NVDA and GE Aerospace GE look lucrative.

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5 Must-Have 3D Printing Stocks for Your Portfolio

Proto Labs is widely recognized as the world’s fastest digital manufacturing platform for rapid prototypes and on-demand production parts. Since its inception, it has manufactured more than 700 million parts, catering to more than 300,000 customers.

Initially focused on prototypes and relatively simple components, the company gradually expanded its capabilities to include more complex parts as well as full-scale production. Over time, it broadened the scope of its offerings by increasing the range of sizes and materials available. Proto Labs also strengthened its portfolio through strategic acquisitions, including FineLine in 2014 to introduce 3D printing, Alphaform in October 2015 to expand 3D printing services in Europe and RAPID in 2017 to add sheet-metal manufacturing. Through the acquisition of 3D Hubs, Inc., which was rebranded to Protolabs Network in 2021, it provides customers access to a global network of premium manufacturing partners.

The company recently unveiled ProDesk, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled manufacturing platform to accelerate projects from prototyping to production. It features AI-driven DFM analysis across injection molding, CNC machining and 3D printing services for instant feedback on parts before they enter production. The platform also allows users to customize quotes based on materials, finishes, secondary operations and lead-time requirements. As customers advance through the product development timeline, ProDesk’s Production Catalog lets users designate parts that are ready for production and simplifies management, organization and reordering of those parts. Through this platform, the company promises an industry-leading online experience that will accelerate product development timelines.

PRLB currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

ATI offers a full range of capabilities throughout the additive supply chain, from metal powder and material science to the finished part. ATI Additive Manufacturing is one of the few providers to deliver expertise in both Electron Beam Melting and Powder Bed Fusion, geared toward exacting and demanding performance environments. As a fully integrated supplier, ATI Additive delivers customer solutions throughout the supply chain, from metal powder and materials science to the finished part.

Given its extensive powder metals offering, ATI Additive can quickly respond to customers' needs for their additive part demands. Leveraging ATI’s metallurgical leadership, it can also develop new alloys for additive manufacturing on request or address industry challenges. The company continues to increase its production capacity for advanced metallic powders for use in next-generation aerospace products, including additive manufacturing applications.

ATI has commissioned a state-of-the-art facility for additive manufacturing products, bringing online the most advanced large-format, metal additive manufacturing capabilities in the industry. The facility combines design, printing, heat treating, machining and inspection capabilities under one roof. From design to finished product, the company has created a one-stop solution center to address challenges in high-performance markets like aerospace, defense and space. ATI currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Carpenter Technology formed the Carpenter Additive business unit in May 2019. The company has been building its additive capabilities through the acquisitions of LPW Technology Ltd., Puris and CalRAM over the past few years. In late 2019, CRS opened its Emerging Technology Center in Athens, AL, capable of atomizing a range of specialty alloys into metal powder and manufacturing the powder into finished parts using AM technology (3D Metal Printing). The downstream equipment for transforming the initially produced part into a final finished product included the state-of-the-art quick-cooling Hot Isostatic Press system, as well as vacuum heat treating to optimize the material properties of high-value specialty alloy components.

The Carpenter Additive business is one of the world's most versatile producers of spherical, gas-atomized, pre-alloyed metal powders and consolidated powder metallurgy products. The powders meet the unique demands of additive manufacturing, metal injection molding, hot isostatic pressing, near-net shapes, surface enhancement processes and tool steels.

Starting from powder production to manufacturing and finishing parts, the end-to-end capabilities differentiate Carpenter Additive from the rest of the industry. CRS currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2.

NVIDIA has significantly influenced the 3D Printing industry by integrating its advanced AI and graphics processing unit (GPU) technologies into various facets of additive manufacturing. Its contributions to 3D printing have become more pronounced in recent years, particularly through collaborations and technological advancements.

A notable example is NVDA’s partnership with HP’s 3D Printing division, with the latter using NVIDIA’s AI tool, Modulus, to boost efficiency and accuracy in manufacturing. HP has developed Virtual Foundry Graphnet, which helps streamline production by accurately predicting how metal powders will behave during the 3D Printing process, assisting manufacturers in optimizing the process, reducing errors and defects, and improving part quality.

NVIDIA is also backing startups that are pushing boundaries in 3D Printing. For instance, Freeform, a company founded by former SpaceX engineers, secured funding from NVIDIA's venture arm, NVentures, in October 2024. This marked a new beginning in advanced manufacturing, wherein Artificial Intelligence and hardware-accelerated computing converge to fundamentally redefine metal production. By utilizing NVIDIA's accelerated computing platform, Freeform is building the world's first AI-native, autonomous metal 3D printing factory.

NVDA has developed a generative AI tool called Magic3D, which can create high-quality 3D textured mesh models from text prompts. Another innovation, LATTE3D (Large-scale Amortized Text-To-Enhanced3D Synthesis), is a text-to-3D generator that creates 3D models in less than a second, leveraging the power of NVIDIA’s RTX A6000 GPU. With this groundbreaking advancement, NVIDIA propelled 3D design into an era of unprecedented efficiency and creativity.

NVIDIA’s Omniverse platform and PhysX engine enable real-time simulation of materials and structures, which are useful for testing a 3D print before actually printing it. NVDA’s NeRFs (Neural Radiance Fields) is an AI model that reconstructs 3D models from 2D photos. This is useful for reverse engineering objects for 3D printing, turning real-world items into printable models, and converting video or image data into detailed 3D meshes. By integrating GPU-accelerated computing, NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo and interactive digital twin technologies, leading technology companies in aerospace and automotive are accelerating their engineering design processes over traditional methods, speeding innovation and shortening development cycles. NVDA currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2.

GE Aerospace is considered one of the leading proponents of additive manufacturing. Since the 1980s, the company has been engaged in additive manufacturing research. The acquisition of a small additive company, Morris Technologies, in 2012 transformed GE’s approach to designing, leading to the first complex component made “additively” for the production of a jet engine. GE Aerospace subsequently boosted its additive manufacturing prowess in 2016 through two more acquisitions of Arcam AB and Concept Laser in Europe.

GE offers industrial metal 3D printers, powders and services to customers through its Colibrium Additive business. Colibrium Additive's EB-PBF printers are ideal for producing dimensionally accurate parts that need to be created quickly and efficiently. Its L-PBF machines use lasers to melt layers of fine metal powder and create complex geometries with precision directly from a CAD file. It produces several key components for LEAP and GE9X engines. According to GE, 3D Printing has enabled engines to be more fuel efficient.

In March 2025, GE Aerospace announced plans to invest nearly $1 billion to strengthen its production capabilities and advance the use of innovative new parts and materials. Around $100 million was earmarked for scaling innovative parts made from new materials and advanced manufacturing processes that provide engines with more range, power and efficiency. This includeed focusing on developing additive manufacturing and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), which are one-third the weight of traditional materials yet capable of withstanding higher temperatures, ensuring greater power and durability for engines.

Earlier this month, GE Aerospace announced plans to invest another $1 billion in its U.S. manufacturing sites and supplier base during 2026. This includes $115 million in Cincinnati, OH, to modernize infrastructure, increase test cell capacity and expand advanced 3D metal printing capabilities. GE currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2.

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GE Aerospace (GE): Free Stock Analysis Report

ATI Inc. (ATI): Free Stock Analysis Report

NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA): Free Stock Analysis Report

Stratasys, Ltd. (SSYS): Free Stock Analysis Report

Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS): Free Stock Analysis Report

Proto Labs, Inc. (PRLB): Free Stock Analysis Report

Xometry, Inc. (XMTR): Free Stock Analysis Report

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