Through this year’s top ten event series, we can see that 3D printing is moving step by step towards application, starting from user needs and advancing technology iterations. Ultimately, 3D printing is no longer just an emerging technology, but is seen as a practical tool, gradually replacing traditional manufacturing processes in certain fields and finding its own unique positioning.
Since 2024, the frequency of 3D printing products “named” by the statistical service has shown rare popularity. In the economic reports of the first quarter, first half and first three quarters of 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics repeatedly cited the growth data of 3D printing as a typical example, reflecting the booming development momentum of this industry.
The reason why 3D printing has attracted so much attention cannot be separated from strong political support and rapid growth in market demand.
From a national policy perspective3D printing (additive manufacturing) has always been one of the strategic and highly valued emerging industries. In the revised and released “Guidance Catalog for Industrial Structural Adjustment (2024 Edition)”, the Industrial Department of the National Development and Reform Commission has clearly listed all relevant directions of additive manufacturing in the “category encouraged.” In the field of smart manufacturing in particular, the “Catalogue (2024 edition)” clearly states that the development of additive manufacturing equipment and special materials should be encouraged. In addition, 3D printing has also been listed as a key promotion focus in many industries such as non-ferrous metals, construction materials, medicine and machinery.
Local governments also play an important role in the development of the 3D printing industry. In,Guangdong and ShaanxiTwo places are particularly typical:
Guangdong Province: The Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology jointly released the “Guangdong Provincial Action Plan for Cultivating Strategic Emerging Industrial Clusters of Laser and Additive Manufacturing (2023-2025)” with several departments. The plan clearly proposes to promote the coordinated development of the laser and additive manufacturing industries, with the aim of creating an internationally competitive industrial cluster.
Shaanxi Province: The Shaanxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission released the “Action Plan of Shaanxi Province to Cultivate a Hundred Billion-Level Additive Manufacturing Industry Innovation Cluster”, which is committed to promoting innovation and large-scale application of additive manufacturing technology and forming a leader in the additive manufacturing industry in the country.
According to customs data3D printing industry exports also show continued growth. According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs, in the first three quarters of this year, shipments of Chinese 3D printers reached 2.85 million units, an increase of 20.0% year-on-year, and total exports reached 6.33 billion yuan, which exceeded the level of 6.15 billion yuan in 2023.
BMW manufactures 400,000 parts using 3D printing each year; Invisalign 3D prints hundreds of thousands of custom orthotics every day; mass production of 3D printed sneakers by Adidas reportedly reached one million; Chanel produces 3D shoes using EOS technology. over 22 million mascara brushes have been printed; Materialize has produced hundreds of thousands of eyeglass frames for several brands; the world’s largest 3D printing community containing 100 residences is now complete.
Currently, we have entered the stage of direct manufacturing of products from 0 to 1. The 3D printing industry is moving from a growth stage to an explosive stage, and its application scenarios are more and more enriched and extended.
Take the example of shoes.The market for fully 3D printed shoes is expected to explode in 2025. Currently, the track has attracted many big brands to the market. Not long ago, PUMA launched the Mostro 3.D., a 3D printed version of its classic shoe; Nike has teamed up with 3D printed shoe company Zellerfeld to release the Air Max 1000; Adidas launched the ClimaCool series using digital 3D printing; Carbon service provider. In addition, start-up STARAY has sold nearly 100,000 pairs of 3D printed shoes, including the Cells series, which relies on the digital shoe mold production solution with the light-curing 3D printer as the core high speed Polytech TAPS.
The above cases show mature applications that have been implemented and the next onestechnological advancementwill open a newGrowth track。
In 2024, Mofang Precision3D printed dental veneersIt has obtained the US FDA certification and Class III medical device registration certificate, and entered into comprehensive strategic cooperation with Meinian Health, a well-known domestic medical and health product brand, to market it. LuxCreo Qingfeng TechnologyDirect 3D printing of invisible dental appliancesThe 4D Aligner™ product has passed the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Class II medical device certification and cooperated with Lingjian Yuejian to launch Yuejian 4D memory orthopedic devices for commercialization. Trias3D printed pharmaceutical productsT20G and D23 have obtained clinical trial applications (IND) for new drugs.
Also,Equipment ManufacturerMetal 3D printing technology is being extended from industrial fields such as aerospace to the civilian market. For example, Farsoon Hi-Tech has successfully applied 3D printing technology to manufacturing titanium alloy motorcycle frames and golf club heads; Platinum helps Taishibon produce titanium alloy bicycle frames and provides titanium alloy hinges for Honor Magic Vs3. It is reported that the Apple Watch case is also made by Platinum.
In 2024, against the backdrop of an overall poor economic environment, the 3D printing industry will also be affected to a certain extent. From a capital perspective, the overall funding amount is expected to be lower than last year. According to resource database statistics, a total of 31 enterprises in the domestic 3D printing industry have completed financing in 2023, with a total amount of more than 6 billion yuan. Currently, investment and financing data for 2024 will be completed at the end of the month. Here is sharing information about financing a few billion yuan.
February 20, metal 3D printing manufacturersHanbang LaserAnnouncement of the completion of a new round of financing of several hundred million yuan, jointly led by Zhongshan Venture Capital and GF Xinde, followed by Shenzhen Huihe Asset. On March 4, metal 3D printing manufacturer Micron 3D completed its first round of strategic financing of nearly 100 million yuan, jointly led by Yueda Automotive Industry Fund and Huagong Technology. On August 6, 3D scanner manufacturersBrilliant 3DThe announcement said that the company received approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission on August 2 and was approved for the targeted issuance of 13.75 million shares at the issue price of 16.00 yuan per share, raising a total of 220 million yuan.
On August 14, 3D printing material manufacturersDingyi TechnologySeries B financing announced, with a financing amount of nearly 200 million yuan, and investors include Western Capital, Western High-tech Investment, etc. December 23, continuous fiber 3D printing manufacturersAnaiso 3DCompleted series A financing of nearly 100 million yuan, led by GF Xinde, followed by Guoding Capital and Heshijia Capital. December 25, 3D printing material manufacturersShanghai 3DRounds A and A+ of nearly 100 million yuan of financing were invested exclusively by Yanfa Fund, while Round A+ was jointly led by Fosun Capital and Yunze Capital, with Ningbo Angel Fund following the investment.
At present, besides BLT and Farsoon High-tech, which have been successfully listed in the Science and Technology Innovation Council, according to the resource library, there are five other 3D printing companies.IPO advice in progressthey are: Shanghai Liantai Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Chuangxiang 3D Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Yijia 3D Additive Technology Co., Ltd., Chongqing Mofang Precision Technology Co., Ltd. and Zhejiang Zhengya Dental Co., Company Ltd.
Compared to the servant,Foreign 3D printing fieldCapital markets in 2024Performance is more eye-catchinga total of ten companies have completed 100 million yuan in financing, covering many fields such as laser powder bed fusion, cold spray technology, metal and multi-material printing.
Among them, Seurat, a large-area pulsed laser powder bed fusion technology provider, received US$99 million in Series C financing, 3D printing equipment maker FDM Mosaic Manufacturing raised US$28 million Canadian dollars and Firestorm, a California drone manufacturer focused on 3D printing. Labs Received $12.5M in Seed Funding, Equispheres, a Developer of Metal 3D Printing Powder Atomization Technology, Completed CA$20M Series B Funding, Multi Jet Maker -materials for 3D printing Inkbit raised US$19 million and inkjet 3D printing manufacturer Quantica. received 10,000 euros in funding in 1970, high-speed metal 3D printing manufacturer Sun Metalon raised 21 million US dollars in Series A financing, spray 3D printing company in cold Titomic received A$30 million investment, metal 3D printing manufacturer Mantle received US$20 million in Series C funding, and powder materials manufacturer 6K 3D printing project received 82 million US dollars. Series E financing.
In 2024, we actively participated in the 10th Asian 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing Exhibition (TCT Asia show) and the Shenzhen International 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing and Investment Casting Exhibition (Formnext Exhibition in Shenzhen). As the official cooperative media of the exhibition, we carried out comprehensive reports such as live broadcasts of exhibition tours and company interviews, and successfully organized a forum on 3D printing farms and Consumer goods applications with organizer. Next, the 7th International Conference on 3D Printing in China (Chengdu) (IAME tournament) is about to kick off, and we will also be rushing on-site to continue bringing in-depth reports and exciting content to the industry.
With the rapid development of the 3D printing industry, we have witnessed an increasing number of industrial activities. Newly added in 2024Shanghai International Additive Manufacturing Application Technology Exhibition (AM CHINA）Held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center. Moreover, asFirst in Asia and second in the worldTCT Asia, a leading 3D printing exhibition, has also further expanded its territory and will organize the South China 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing Exhibition in Shenzhen from September 10 to 12, 2025 (Shenzhen TCT Exhibition）。
In addition to exhibitions, various forums have also become a formidable stage for industrial exchanges. This year, we had the chance to participate in the2024 Additive Manufacturing Industry Development Forum and Annual Additive Manufacturing Industry Conferencedeeply convinced that 3D printing technology has moved from a niche technology to maturity and industrialization. Many companies have gone through ten or even twenty years.I got good results todaythey deserve to be congratulated. As industry leaders, it is not easy to persist.
From June 25 to 27, 2024, the largest additive manufacturing show in North America—— FAST+TCT 2024Inauguration at the Los Angeles Convention Center in the United States. According to the database, the exhibition attracted more than 30 Chinese companies. Then, from November 19 to 22, the largest 3D printing trade show in the worldFormnext 2024 International Exhibition for Precision Forming and 3D Printing Manufacturing(Formnext Germany Exhibition) was held with great fanfare in Frankfurt, Germany.
As the “Oscar” of the 3D printing industry, Formnext2024 brings together more than 860 exhibitors. According to incomplete statistics, this exposure counts in total112 Chinese exhibitorsand in 2022, this number will only be28increased in two yearsalmost three timeswhich means that one in eight exhibitors comes from China. This change shows that Chinese 3D printing companies are making great progress toward internationalization and accelerating their “exit”.
In 2024, Chinese 3D printing manufacturers have built a complete ecological chain and are now confident enough to stand on the global stage and shout loudly: “This is made in China, we are from China!” Next, going abroad will remain a hot topic in the development of the 3D printing industry. We encourage businesses to step out boldly, open up to the wider international market and plant their own flags. Looking forward to 2025, as an industrial platform, we will organize more overseas travel-related activities and work hand in hand with industrial partners.
As mentioned earlier, according to statistics from the General Administration of Customs, shipments of Chinese 3D printers reached 2.85 million units in the first three quarters of 2024, and exports exceeded all of last year . Among them, consumer 3D printers accounted for the majority of shipments, reaching 2.83 million units, with exports reaching 5.932 billion yuan, demonstrating the strong growth momentum and international competitiveness of the consumer market.
Among them, the “big four” in the consumer 3D printing industry, including Creality, Bambu Lab, Anycubic and Elegoo, have contributed significantly to becoming the main driver of export growth.
When we say consumer 3D printing has entered the worldThe 2.0 eraon the one hand refers to the technological modernization of equipment and materials.High speed, multi-color, stable and easy to useIt has become the basic standard feature of desktop FDM 3D printers, which further promotes the popularity and development of 3D printing technology into more application scenarios.
TakutakeThis is undoubtedly the first kickoff for a new generation of consumer 3D printers. The first high-speed multi-color intelligent 3D printer X1 set a benchmark for the industry and pushed the consumer 3D printing market into the 2.0 era. Additionally, other brands in the industry are quickly following suit. For example, Creality 3D’s new flagship model, Creality K2 Plus, Kobra 3 Combo and Kobra S1 Combo from Vertical Cube, AD5X from Flashforge Technology, KOKONI SOTA from Magic Core Technology and Arco from Proson as well as other multi-color printing products launched Appear to the market. We are entering a colorful era of 3D printing. These devices are no longer limited to monochrome printing, and some models even support up to 16 colors.
In addition to equipment iterations, we have also witnessed significant innovations in materials. In the past, there was only one color of material. Today, various material appearances such as rainbow color, two-color color and silk color have greatly enriched the printing effect and made it dizzying. At the same time, material performance is constantly improving. Material brands such as Yisheng, Sanlv, Polymaker and other material brands have launched various engineering materials, opening up more space for industrial applications, indicating that mainstream 3D printing is moving toward functionalization and development. diversification. The direction of culturalization continues to advance.
The 2.0 era is not only a technological upgrade, but also a change in market structure. In the past, more than 90% of 3D printers were exported, and the domestic market has not yet been fully launched. Today, this situation is changing.
In 2024, “3D printers” will be listed in the national grant catalog and will be eligible for15% subsidyCombined with manufacturer discounts, consumer 3D printers usher in the largest promotion in history. existJD.com 11.11Among them, the transaction volume of 3D printers has increased year by year7 times；TakutakeSales exceeded 100 million yuan, and moreSmall Double 11It beat HP to top sales in the office culture and education category.
In the past, many people may not have known what 3D printing is, but today, more and more office workers are purchasing their first 3D printer, and this technology is moving from niche status to that of popularity.
In 2024, someone wields the “big knife” of patents and starts “collecting taxes.” On August 5, Stratasys sent a lawyer’s letter to Tuozhu and its three subsidiaries – Shanghai Contour Technology Co., Ltd., Bambulab Limited and Tuozhu Technology Limited – formally informing them of the patent infringement issues. These are five patents, including cleaning towers, and these patented technologies are used by almost all common 3D printers on the market that use fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology.
As for why Stratasys pointed the finger at Tuozhu, the reason is simple: Tuozhu’s rapid development has posed a direct threat to its core interests. To put it simply, many users who initially considered purchasing high-priced Stratasys equipment instead chose Tuozhu products with excellent performance and more competitive prices. This market shift will undoubtedly have a considerable impact on Stratasys’ business model. The consumer market initially abandoned by Stratasys has now become a direct competitor that threatens its core interests.
Reconciliation or challenge will become a key multiple choice question in front of Tuozhu. If Tuozhu plans to further expand into overseas markets, especially in important regions such as Europe and the United States, this patent dispute will undoubtedly be a challenge that must be faced. Currently, the case is still ongoing and we will continue to pay attention to the progress and bring you the latest news.
Regarding the patent infringement, on April 11, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware ruled that Markforged must pay Continu Composites Inc. $17.34 million in damages due to the patent infringement. This case has once again highlighted the role of intellectual property. in 3D printing, we really need to pay attention to its importance in the industry.
In the field of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology, larger printing size, larger numbers of lasers and higher production efficiency remain the main theme of industry development this year . Many companies, including Yijia 3D, Laser and Bright Laser, have launched large-scale 2-meter equipment in 2024.
At TCT Asia in May 2024, Yijia 3D launched a metal additive manufacturing systemEP-M2050its molding chamber size is 2058mm × 2058mm × 1100mm, and the Z direction height can be customized to 2000mm, which greatly increases the printing size of SLM technology. The equipment adopts an array laser arrangement, with six arrays of thirty-six lasers and thirty-six galvanometers as standard, and supports up to eight arrays of sixty-four lasers. The casting efficiency reaches 1080 cm³/h and the efficiency is increased by. approximately 100%.
In November, Leiming Laser launched a laser specially designed for the aerospace field.LiM-X800H+The metal 3D printer has a net forming height of 2500 mm. It is equipped as standard with 6 lasers and can be equipped with 8 or 10 lasers to achieve efficient forming. With single-scraper bidirectional powder spreading technology and self-developed dual-drive Z-axis design, combined with 4-rail guidance and high-precision dual-drive synchronous control, the height of the LiM-X800H+ equipment is controlled within 7 meters, fully meeting the user’s installation needs.
At the 15th China Air Show, BLT officially launched the BLT-S825 super-large metal 3D printer, which is specially designed for integrated manufacturing of super-large parts. The forming size of the equipment is 850mm × 850mm × 2500mm, and the net forming height exceeds 2.5 meters. The BLT-S825 is equipped with 24 lasers, supports printing a large layer thickness of 100 μm, and has a maximum forming efficiency of 870 cm³/h, greatly improving production efficiency.
In 2024, competition will not only be tough in the areas of large and multi-laser equipment,Green laser 3D printingA new racing competition has also started. Xihe Additive, the first domestic manufacturer to successfully market green laser LPBF equipment, will re-launch XH-M350G equipment with medium and large casting sizes in 2024, and other manufacturers will quickly follow suit.
In May, Hanbang Laser launched HBD S400G green laser equipment at TCT Asia, with a casting size of 400 × 350 × 400mm; in July, Bright Laser announced the launch of a green laser technology solution in December, based on Leiming Laser; on the LiM-X series, Equipment also launched a green laser additive manufacturing solution.
In 2024, the 3D printing industry will be particularly turbulent in overseas markets. From the delisting of Voxeljet at the beginning of the year, to the buyout of Desktop Metal at a low price, to the declaration of bankruptcy of Shapeways, Markforged was also bought by Nano Dimension, and finally Velo3D also chose to withdraw from the side. This series of events highlighted the ferocity. competition in the industry and challenges in the market environment.
3D printing service provider Zeda is auctioning 3D printing equipment with a total value of around US$20 million. At the same time, 3D printing powder material manufacturer Uniformity Labs has also already auctioned metal 3D printing equipment worth 10 million US dollars. At the same time, 3D printing materials company KIMYA and 3D printing filament distributor 3D FilaPrint announced their closure.
In September 2024, metal 3D printing manufacturer Velo3D announced its delisting, and binder and sand jet 3D printing manufacturer Voxeljet also delisted one after another. Subsequently, Voxeljet AG announced the sale of its entire business to Anzu Partners LLC.
In July 2024, 3D printing service provider Shapeways declared bankruptcy. Under the leadership of a new management team, Shapeways has regained ownership of the brand and continues to operate under its original name.
In July 2024, Nano Dimension announced the acquisition of Desktop Metal for a total consideration of approximately US$183 million (can be adjusted to US$135 million). Additionally, Nano Dimension announced in September that it would acquire Markforged for $115 million in cash.
In 2024, we will see not only domestic prosperity and development, but also significant reorganization and integration of the foreign 3D printing industry. Faced with market pressure and competition, some companies choose to delist or sell assets, while others expand or reorganize through mergers and acquisitions.
“3D Printing Farm” has become a new label for the 3D printing industry in 2024, and behind it represents a complete and growing industrial chain. However, it is incredible that it has reached the scale it has today in just one year, something many people could not have imagined before.
“Recover the capital in three months” is the faithful portrait of many 3D printing farmers at the start of the year. At a unit price of 0.2 yuan per gram, machines running 24 hours a day continuously print various toys, such as dragons, dragon eggs, telescopic swords and carrot knives. The first group of 3D printing farmers tasted the sweetness of starting a business, and the number of their machines quickly increased from the initial 20 or 50 to 200 or even thousands. And all this explosive growth may have only lasted a few months.
Until September 2024, just after the China 3D Printing Farm Summit Forum organized by the resource library, many farmers found that the order volume dropped suddenly in a short time and entered a very slow stage. After an adaptation period of a month and a half, the farmers quickly entered a state of intense work, which continues to this day. Their efforts have led to the emergence of a new category called “3D printed toys” in 2024.
Breakthrough with sales100 millionTake the 3D printed dragon as an example, it has become a popular toy on the streets. It can be seen everywhere in major tourist spots, parks and small stalls that we see every day. And that’s just a microcosm of hundreds or thousands of 3D printed toys. The toy market leaves immense room for the imagination and 3D printing technology will certainly make a difference.
However, how to further standardize this industry and ensure the stability of product quality, production efficiency and market order are issues that we need to think about and discuss in depth next.
The key words behind the ten most important events are surprise, landing and going overseas.
The explosive growth of 3D printing farms and the potential of the new toy market are unprecedented. This success not only brings opportunities to farmers, but also instills great confidence in the entire sector. The door to a trillion market suddenly opened. It must be said that it is indeed a huge surprise in 2024.
We used to say that “everything from food, clothing, shelter and transportation” can be printed, but this vision is now gradually becoming a reality. The birth of new technologies has opened up more application scenarios for 3D printing and brought new possibilities for iteration. With further industrialization, the industry will also usher in a new wave of growth, further expanding the boundaries and potential of 3D printing.
Get out! Chinese 3D printing companies are accelerating their internationalization and emerging on the global stage. The successful experience of mainstream 3D printing has allowed us to see the strong strength of China’s manufacturing sector, and this phenomenon is also expected to be replicated in the field of industrial-grade 3D printing, pushing the industry to a new level superior.
2025 is approaching and we are ready: keep going!
