Interest in 3D printing has exploded following the expiration of key patents in 2009: key players have been quick to capitalise on this demand, some enjoying exponential revenue growth as a result. Although 3D printing hardware and materials have been the focus of considerable technological advancement over the past few decades, until recently, the supporting software, essential to obtaining high quality prints, has not received an equivalent level of interest. Prior to this explosion of interest, the 3D printing software market was characterised by multiple free and open source build processors, with one or two organisations catering to the industrial user with commercial offerings. In 2017, the landscape has changed considerably: there have been several new entrants following acquisition of smaller start-ups with both established CAD/PLM developers and 3D printer manufacturers keen to carve out a share of this rapidly growing market. The push to develop software that enables Design for Additive Manufacture for users looking to fully leverage the design freedoms offered by 3D printing is one of the key drivers of this growth. Given these market trends, IDTechEx forecasts that the global market for 3D printing metals will grow at a CAGR of 22% and will be worth $966 million by the year 2028.