No prime time for 3D printing in China has come yet
In China, whether it is a 3D printing photo gallery opened in Xi'an, a 3D printing experience store opened in Beijing, or a 3D printing concept stock that has been hyped up in recent days, all of which have only just begun, and China's 3D printing has a long way to go. Way to go. You may still remember the Mask Maker that was used by Agent Ethan in the film Impossible 4th. This magical prop can create a mask that looks exactly like someone else in a short period of time, using 3D printing technology. (Editor) Beauty Equipment,Instrument,Beauty Instrument,Facial Injection Instrument Yanbian Nabalu E-commerce Co., Ltd. , https://www.nabalubeauty.com
However, Jingwei China’s vice president, Congzhen, recently encountered a problem that caused him headaches: Many of the projects that self-proposed to seek investment called themselves “3D printing,†but in the past, what they did was totally different. thing. "It's hard to put it in the IT hardware or Internet category, but honestly, there is still a big gap between the concept of the new hardware based on the smart system that I originally envisioned." The reporter so sighed.
In spite of this, the domestic public opinion about the 3D printing industry policy has gradually increased. It is reported that following the high-level position of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in December last year that will promote the industrialization of 3D printing, relevant persons from the Ministry of Science and Technology have also recently stated that the relevant strategic plan for 3D printing is under research and formulation and is expected to be announced after the two sessions. Affected by this, last Friday, Hongchang Electronics, Southwind shares, China Aviation Heavy Machinery and other stocks rally.
However, in most domestic VC eyes, the golden opportunity for investing in 3D printing has not yet arrived. This is because the technology and market of 3D printing itself are not yet mature. Congzhen’s concern is: “If you are simply selling hardware, in the Chinese market environment, profits will be rapidly diluted as competitors continue to squeeze in, and e-books This is the best example."
Old technology jumps into the fashion season
3D printing, scientific name rapid prototyping technology. Contrary to this sounding new name, 3D printing technology has actually existed for more than two decades. The world's first 3D printer was born in 1986 and invented by American American Charles Hull. The 3D System s company he founded is already listed on the Nasdaq and has become one of the leading giants in the US 3D printing industry.
Since this is not a new technology, why has it suddenly become popular now?
Luo Jun, CEO of the Asian Manufacturing Association, told Nandu that he had recommended “rapid manufacturing technology†and equipment to the member companies at the Rapid Manufacturing Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2010, but the response was not enthusiastic at the time. Looking back now, he believes that the main reason is that the external environment is not yet mature, and the change in the traditional manufacturing mode of production also needs to go through a long-term process.
Xia Qing is one of the principals of Shanghai Zhizhi Robot Co., Ltd., whose main business is the operation of a professional forum related to robotics and open source hardware technology, D FR obot. He told Nandu reporters that he had started to pay attention since long ago. 3D printing. Really see the entity about two years ago, someone brought back a m ​​akerbot from abroad, let Xia Qing love 3D printing at first sight. Therefore, he devoted a piece of open source hardware on D FR obot to do research and development on 3D printing technology and 3D printer.
After a period of research, experimentation and development, D Frobot began pre-sale of a desktop 3D printer. According to Xia Qing, according to the comments on the Weibo and some data on the website, it can be seen that many people have a high degree of interest in 3D printers, and some people have already subscribed to 3D printers on their websites.
However, Xia Qing also admitted to Southern Reporter that the desktop 3D printer pre-sold by D.F.Bobot uses a relatively inexpensive and low-end 3D printing technology “melt extrusion technology†and can only support the printing of plastic materials. , and medical and industrial-grade 3D printers are not the same language.
According to Xia Qing, medical and industrial-grade 3D printers can be widely used in the manufacture of dental and artificial joints, as well as in aerospace and other fields due to their higher accuracy and the ability to print metal and polymer materials.
The Southern Metropolis Daily reporter also learned that, at present, the laboratory has successfully printed food, blood vessels and human organs. While the 3D printing technology has triggered more moral and legal discussions, "My husband, printing a piece of fresh meat before work to take home" will no longer be an idiotic dream.
Material elbow 3D printing
However, as Xia Qing said, even though they are all called 3D printing technology, the 3D printing technology currently applied to the low-end consumer market and the 3D printing technology applicable to medical and industrial grades are facing different development spaces and trajectories. This is also the reason why many domestic VCs believe that the prime time to invest in 3D printing technology has not arrived yet. “The market prospects of the former are unknown, while the latter still needs more time to wait for technological development.â€
Luo Jun revealed to Southern Reporters that in the field of biomedicine, although 3D printing has a huge market and its technology is very mature, it is subject to the restrictions of biological materials; while industrial-grade 3D printing applications can be divided into prototype manufacturing and Metal products are manufactured directly. The prototype manufacturing technology has been relatively mature and widely used. The direct manufacturing of metal products, especially the direct manufacturing of large-scale metal structural parts, is the core difficulty of 3D printing technology. Although this market is not particularly large, it has high added value and the highest technology content.
On the other hand, Luo Jun also pointed out that the key to restricting the development of domestic 3D printing technology is not the technology itself, but the material. At present, materials that can be used in 3D printing include dozens of films, resins, waxes, gypsum, nylon filaments, titanium alloys, and ceramics.
Therefore, as far as the current market status is concerned, companies such as Mingzhe Technology, Tyre Times, and Westek, which are manufacturing with original manufacturing and direct manufacturing of small metal products, will go even further in the process of manufacturing and commercializing 3D printers. Farther away. Take Vixitech as an example. According to its parent company, Guanghua Albert CHAN, vice president of Venture Capital Venture Capital, Zhong Lian told Southern reporter that Guanghua Weiye was originally based on the production of environmentally-friendly plastic materials. In 2008, Guanghua Weiye received several foreign orders one after another, requesting the production of some 1.75 mm diameter plastic strips. Since then, the business has expanded rapidly and in just a few months has become the company's big business. Guanghua Weiye founder Yang Yijun discovered that these plastic strips are actually the raw materials needed for 3D printing.
So, he got a special 3D printing open source technology file to conduct research, and set up Vistek independently for the production and sales of 3D printers. In 2012, the company's domestic sales of 3D printers reached more than a thousand units, while the whole machine business for foreign markets has just begun.
Yang Yiju cited the most typical example to explain to Southern Capital Reporter the target customer of Westek, that is, ZTE Mobile Phone uses a 3D printer to make a mobile phone "shouban." "Shouban" is the initial model of the phone, and the designer will modify it after it has been picked up. In the traditional production method, the production of the hand board is generally completed by a specialized hand board factory. All hand-made, it takes about two weeks, the cost is more than 3,000 yuan. And if you use 3D printing, it only takes 3-4 hours, but the cost is only tens of dollars.
In the planning of Yang Yijun, Guanghua Weiye and Westek will focus on the production of 3D printing materials and the production and sale of 3D stereoscopic software and 3D printers, respectively, to form a complete industrial chain layout for the 3D printing industry.
When does VC shoot?
At the end of last year, when the investor Wang Lijie designed an iP hone protective case card for himself, he had thought of finding a 3D printing service provider and “printing it outâ€. However, after several inspections and comparisons, he discovered that the 3D-printed phone case is not only expensive, but also the most critical is that it is not wearable. In the end, he chose to replace it with screen printing to solve the problem of wear, and to control the manufacturing cost of a single mobile phone shell within a hundred dollars.
Wang Lijie told Southern Reporter that at present, 3D printing is still at a very early stage in China. No matter whether it is technology or market demand, it has not yet matured. Therefore, even early investors like him have little involvement in this type of investment project.
In a sense, Congzhen also agreed with Wang Lijie. He told the Southern Reporter that in some of the 3D printing-related cases he had already seen, many were foreign agents of 3D printing equipment. Due to the early exposure and familiarity with the technology and principles of 3D printing, he started to enter 3D again. Printer manufacturing.
However, Zhong Lim, vice president of deep venture capital investment in Guanghua Weiye in 2010, did not think so. He referred to the history of the development of 2D printing as a reference. He explained to the Southern Reporter that 3D printing can be roughly divided into 3D printing materials, 3D imaging software and 3D printers. If you continue to subdivide, take 3D printers as an example. For the nozzle, control board and other parts.
Zhong Lian believes that if all links in the 3D printing industry chain are unfolded and then concentrated through competition to a few, it will take at least a decade and the most lucrative profits will not exceed the first three to five years. . This is undoubtedly the best growth opportunity for companies that have entered the 3D printing industry earlier and can grasp the direction of industrial technology development.
However, unlike what 3D printing enthusiasts expect from a “3D printer for every householdâ€, Zhong Lian does not believe that 3D printers will become standard for ordinary families, especially in China. "You see that 2D printers have been developing for almost 20 years now, and not every family has one!"
In contrast, Zhong Lian is more optimistic about the potential growth potential of the B2B market. In addition to the modelling and mold making market that Vistek has entered, the higher-end and more refined biomedical and more popular entertainment markets, such as 3D photo studios, are the focus of Zhong Lian.
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"The most difficult part of 3D printing technology is the use of industrial grades, and large metal structures are even more difficult." Luo Jun, CEO of Asian Manufacturing Association
"If you are simply selling hardware, in the Chinese market environment, the situation is like an e-book as quickly diluted by the opponent." Jingwei China vice president Cong Zhen
"The profitable profits of 3D printing will not exceed the first three to five years."
Shenzhen Venture Capital Vice President Zhong Lian
Winner
3D Measures s: Giant Alchemy
If you tell you, there is an unknown company that may perform well in the next decade, with market capitalization equivalent to Apple and Facebook, what would you think?
For those looking for "future-type" companies, there may not be a better choice than 3D Systems s. 3D System s provides customers with "one-stop" full value-added solutions including hardware, software, materials, processes, education and application support. It not only provides printers, but also sells raw materials and related design software for printers and provides training for customers. Its solutions include molds, medical care, education, jewelry, construction and other industries.