3D printing and additive manufacturing
3D printing and additive manufacturing jobs: pay and routes in
Additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing, builds parts layer by layer from a digital model. The jobs run from technicians who run the printers to engineers who decide what to print and how. 3D printing technicians share an ONS group with CAD technicians, with a full-time median of £35,221; additive manufacturing engineers sit in a broad engineering group with £48,776 (ONS ASHE 2025).
Updated
What the work involves
Industrial 3D printing is used for prototypes, for tooling and jigs, and for finished parts. The main processes print with plastic filament (fused deposition modelling, FDM), liquid resin (stereolithography) or powder melted or fused by a laser (for example selective laser sintering, and metal powder bed fusion).
Around each build there is work at every level:
- preparing and checking the digital model and the build file;
- setting up, running and maintaining the printers and handling the materials safely;
- removing supports, finishing and heat treating parts;
- inspecting parts against the drawing and keeping the process under control;
- designing parts to get the most from the process, and deciding when printing beats machining or moulding.
The careers in detail
Additive manufacturing roles
FromDesign, engineering or manufacturingTo3D printing technician
The hands-on role: preparing print files, setting up and running printers, looking after machines and materials, and finishing and checking parts.
- Way in
- Apprenticeship: Engineering technician, level 3, typically 42 months
- Apprenticeship: Digital engineering technician, level 3, typically 36 months
- Degree usually needed: No
Live 3D printing technician jobsNational Careers Service profile
Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 3120 "CAD, drawing and architectural technicians", not only 3D printing technician roles. ONS codes 3D printing technicians with CAD, drawing and architectural technicians (3120), so the pay figure covers that whole group.
FromDesign, engineering or manufacturingToAdditive manufacturing engineer
The engineering role: deciding which parts are worth printing, designing them for the process, choosing materials and settings, and proving parts meet the specification.
- Way in
- Degree usually needed: Yes
Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 2129 "Engineering professionals n.e.c.", not only additive manufacturing engineer roles. ONS codes additive manufacturing and 3D printing engineers to engineering professionals not elsewhere classified (2129), a broad group, so the pay figure covers all of it.
Roles around it
Design, quality and manufacturing roles that work with printed parts and lead into the field.
FromDesign, engineering or manufacturingToCAD technician
Every print starts as a 3D model. CAD skills are a direct way into the design side of additive manufacturing.
- Way in
- Apprenticeship: Engineering design technician, level 3, typically 42 months
- Degree usually needed: No
Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 3120 "CAD, drawing and architectural technicians", not only CAD technician roles.
FromDesign, engineering or manufacturingToMechanical engineer
Designing parts for additive manufacturing, such as lighter brackets or parts made in one piece, is mechanical design work with a different process in mind.
- Way in
- Apprenticeship: Electro-mechanical engineer, level 6, typically 60 months
- Apprenticeship: Product design and development engineer (degree), level 6, typically 42 months
- Apprenticeship: Manufacturing engineer (degree), level 6, typically 42 months
- Degree usually needed: No
Live mechanical engineer jobsNational Careers Service profile
Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 2122 "Mechanical engineers (professional)", not only mechanical engineer roles.
FromDesign, engineering or manufacturingToQuality engineer
Printed parts need inspection and measurement like any other, and the process has to be controlled so every build comes out the same.
- Way in
- Apprenticeship: Engineering manufacturing technician, level 4, typically 42 months
- Degree usually needed: No
Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 2481 "Quality control and planning engineers", not only quality engineer roles. ONS codes professional quality engineers to quality control and planning engineers (2481). A quality engineer working at technician level is coded to quality assurance technicians (3115), which pays less.
FromDesign, engineering or manufacturingToManufacturing engineer
Moving a part from prototype to repeatable production, whether printed or not, is manufacturing engineering.
- Way in
- Apprenticeship: Manufacturing engineer (degree), level 6, typically 42 months
- Apprenticeship: Engineering manufacturing technician, level 4, typically 42 months
- Degree usually needed: No
Live manufacturing engineer jobsNational Careers Service profile
Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 2125 "Production and process engineers", not only manufacturing engineer roles. ONS codes production, process and continuous improvement engineers to production and process engineers (2125). A manufacturing engineer working at technician level is coded to engineering technicians (3113), which pays less.
Pay ranges
ONS publishes pay by occupation group, not for 3D printing roles on their own, so each figure covers the whole group. The UK full-time median for all employees was £39,039.
| Career | Lower quartile | Median | Upper quartile | ONS group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3D printing technician | £29,500 | £35,221 | £42,481 | 3120 |
| Additive manufacturing engineer | £39,653 | £48,776 | £61,717 | 2129 |
| CAD technician | £29,500 | £35,221 | £42,481 | 3120 |
| Mechanical engineer | £39,125 | £51,110 | £62,237 | 2122 |
| Quality engineer | £35,425 | £43,592 | £54,194 | 2481 |
| Manufacturing engineer | £39,642 | £47,946 | £58,754 | 2125 |
Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Each figure covers the whole ONS unit group named by its code, not only the job title shown. ONS leaves a quartile out when the estimate is not reliable enough to publish.
How to get in
For a 3D printing technician role, the National Careers Service describes four routes:
- College: a course in creative design, model making or engineering, such as a Level 2 Certificate in Computer Aided Design, a Level 3 Award in 3D Computer Aided Design, a Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Technology, or the T Level in Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing.
- Apprenticeship: for example Engineering Technician or Digital Engineering Technician, both level 3.
- Work: starting as an assistant in a 3D printing workshop and training on the job. Experience in manufacturing, model making, printing, technology or design helps.
- University: a foundation degree, HND or degree in a subject such as 3D design, product design, engineering or materials science.
Source: National Careers Service, 3D printing technician, published retrieved 29 September 2026.
| Apprenticeship | Level | Typical length | Leads to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital engineering technician | 3 | 36 months | 3D printing technician |
| Engineering design technician | 3 | 42 months | CAD technician |
| Engineering technician | 3 | 42 months | 3D printing technician |
| Engineering manufacturing technician | 4 | 42 months | quality engineer, manufacturing engineer |
| Manufacturing engineer (degree) | 6 | 42 months | mechanical engineer, manufacturing engineer |
| Product design and development engineer (degree) | 6 | 42 months | mechanical engineer |
| Electro-mechanical engineer | 6 | 60 months | mechanical engineer |
Source: Skills England, apprenticeship standards approved for delivery, published retrieved 29 September 2026. Standards apply in England. Typical lengths are Skills England's figures; relevant experience can shorten them.
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Common questions
Short answers, each with its source. Pay figures are ONS ASHE 2025 full-time medians unless stated.
What does a 3D printing technician earn in the UK?
ONS codes 3D printing technicians with CAD, drawing and architectural technicians (unit group 3120), which had a full-time median of £35,221 in 2025 (ONS ASHE 2025). The figure covers the whole group, not only 3D printing roles.
What does an additive manufacturing engineer earn?
ONS codes 3D printing and additive manufacturing engineers to engineering professionals not elsewhere classified (2129), with a full-time median of £48,776 (ONS ASHE 2025). It is a broad group, so read it as a guide.
How do I become a 3D printing technician?
The National Careers Service lists four routes: a foundation degree, HND or degree in a subject such as 3D design, product design, engineering or materials science; a college course such as a Level 3 Award in 3D Computer Aided Design, a Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Technology or the T Level in Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing; an apprenticeship; or starting as an assistant in a 3D printing workshop and training on the job.
Is there a 3D printing apprenticeship?
We found no Skills England standard just for 3D printing. The National Careers Service suggests the Engineering Technician and Digital Engineering Technician apprenticeships, both at level 3, among others. Apprenticeships apply in England.
Do I need a degree to work in additive manufacturing?
Not for technician roles: the National Careers Service describes college, apprenticeship and on-the-job routes. Additive manufacturing engineer roles usually need an engineering or materials degree, or a degree apprenticeship, going by the routes ONS describes for professional engineers.
Is additive manufacturing the same as 3D printing?
Yes. Additive manufacturing is the industrial name for 3D printing: building a part layer by layer from a digital model, in plastics, resins or metal powders, instead of cutting it from a solid block.
What skills do 3D printing jobs need?
CAD and 3D modelling, knowing how the different processes and materials behave, setting up and maintaining printers, finishing printed parts, and inspecting them against the drawing. The National Careers Service says experience in manufacturing, model making, printing, technology or design helps.
How we worked this out
Pay is the median gross annual pay for full-time employees in the UK from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional, Table 14.7a, published 23 October 2025). It covers the tax year ending 5 April 2025, for employees who had been in the same job for more than a year. A median is the midpoint for everyone in the job, from new starters to people with decades behind them, so it is not a starting salary.
ONS does not publish pay for 3D printing on its own. Each career is placed in the SOC 2020 unit group the ONS coding index gives for its title: 3D printing technicians with CAD, drawing and architectural technicians (3120), and 3D printing and additive manufacturing engineers with engineering professionals not elsewhere classified (2129).
- Each job is matched to an ONS SOC 2020 unit group using the ONS coding index. Where several jobs share a group, the figure covers all of them, and the card says so.
- ONS does not publish a figure when the estimate is too uncertain (a coefficient of variation over 20%) or could identify people. We say "not published" rather than fill the gap.
- ASHE counts employees only. It says nothing about self-employed earnings, such as private tutoring or consultancy.
- "Degree usually needed" is our judgement from the entry routes that ONS and the National Careers Service describe. "No" means a documented route exists below degree level, not that nobody in the job has a degree.
- Apprenticeships are Skills England standards approved for delivery on 29 September 2026. They apply in England. Durations are Skills England's typical figures, and relevant experience can shorten them.
- ONS publishes ASHE 2026 on 22 October 2026. We will update these figures when it does.
Sources
- ONS, Earnings and hours worked, occupation by four-digit SOC: ASHE Table 14 (2025 provisional), published 23 October 2025.
- ONS, SOC 2020 Volume 2: the coding index (version 14), retrieved 29 September 2026.
- National Careers Service, 3D printing technician, retrieved 29 September 2026.
- Skills England, apprenticeship standards, retrieved 29 September 2026.