The 3D scanning market is projected to foresee commendable growth in coming years owing to high product usage across various application avenues such as aerospace & defense, entertainment & media, healthcare, and architecture & engineering among many others.

3D scanning refers to the process of collecting data from the physical object's surface which precisely describes the shape in terms of 3-dimensional space. 3D-based laser scanners are known to measure fine details as well as capture free-form shapes to rapidly generate precise point clouds. Just as 2D-based images are made up of pixels, 3D scans are made up of very tiny polygons or triangles.

The market for 3D scanning is bifurcated into different segments in terms of product, range, component, application, and regional landscape.

With respect to range, the market is classified into long range, medium range, and short range. Among these, there will be increasing demand for medium range segment from the automotive industry largely for inspection of manufactured vehicles.

Based on component, the market for 3D scanning is divided into software and hardware. Here, the hardware segment will witness healthy growth over the projected time period. 3D scanning hardware that enables to take correct readings at high speeds will gain much more popularity over the forecast timeframe.

In terms of application, the overall 3D scanning market is segmented in terms of entertainment & media, architecture & engineering, industrial, healthcare, aerospace & defense, and others. Among these, the aerospace and defense segment will exhibit robust growth over the coming years owing to wide deployment of advanced 3D scanning solutions to scan large aircrafts as well as components.

These scanners provide defense contractors as well as military organizations with the ability to rapidly measure used or novel parts, aircraft or vehicles for inspection, for product development or space claim. 3D scanners aid in forming low volume tooling along with building accurate prototypes, which is very useful especially when any part breakdowns.

In addition, the defense sector utilizes the 3D technology to get hold of data as well as operate the same, thus reducing human errors and making sure that the deadlines are met. Numerous militaries & defense agencies are utilizing 3D scanners in order to create weapons a relatively low cost. Overall, the technology is extensively used for training of the weapons as well as providing surveillance.

From a regional frame of reference, the expanding automotive industry in North America will offer strong growth opportunities to the 3D scanning market. Automotive manufacturers are likely to employ 3D scanning solutions for the reverse engineering of manufactured vehicle parts.