国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

Business / Technology

China taps 3D printing consumer market

(Xinhua) Updated: 2015-09-09 09:32

China taps 3D printing consumer market

3D-printed objects are seen at the 3D Hubs office in Amsterdam September 2, 2014.[Photo/Agencies]

BEIJING - In Beijing's suburban Huairou district, Chinese engineers in an economic and development zone hope to make 3D printers a household item and transform China's economy in the process.

One of about 300 companies located in the zone, Beijing Tiertime Technology Co Ltd, China's first 3D printer exporter and Asia's largest 3D printer producer, could help reshape consumption habits in the world's most populous nation.

The company sells tens of thousands of printers to more than 40 countries every year. Its 150-plus employees print products layer by layer, ranging from toys and cartoon figures to mobile phone shells and home decor.

Students, entrepreneurs and hobbyists with specialized demands can create tailored designs using Tiertime's microwave-oven-sized desktop machines.

Unlike the refrigerator-sized industrial 3D printers that are mainly used to print metals, the much smaller desktop machine targets ordinary consumers to use its rapid prototyping technology, with prices ranging from 3,000 to 20,000 yuan (around $470 to $3,146).

Since 2012, when the Economist predicted that 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, would trigger a third industrial revolution, Tiertime's revenues have jumped at an annual rate of 40 to 50 percent, with its output topping 100 million yuan last year.

The desktop 3D printers used in the consumer market represent one of the technology's four major uses, along with industrial, biological and artistic applications, according to Lin Feng, professor and deputy director of the Biofabrication and Rapid Prototyping Technology Laboratory of Tsinghua University.

Those with knowledge of materials and modeling technology have recognized the opportunities. In the past three years, hundreds of Chinese companies have started producing desktop 3D printers.

From 2012 to 2014, output of China's 3D printing market expanded three to four times from 1 billion yuan, according to Luo Jun, secretary of the World 3D Printing Technology Industry Alliance.

Luo estimated that the industry has the potential to reach 10 billion yuan in 2016.

The thriving Chinese 3D printing industry has kept pace with global peers. According to market research firm Canalys, almost 133,000 3D printers were shipped worldwide in 2014, representing a whopping 68-percent increase over the previous year, and total market revenue topped $3.3 billion, up 34 percent.

"We've seen the 3D printing industry go from strength to strength in 2014... particularly in the consumer segment, with many users buying their first 3D printer," Joe Kempton, a research analyst with Canalys, told 3D.com. Kempton expects falling prices, new technology and improved printing speeds to fuel demand in the future.

Previous Page 1 2 Next Page

Hot Topics

Editor's Picks
...
仲巴县| 马公市| 马龙县| 苍溪县| 安吉县| 洛川县| 南靖县| 民乐县| 大丰市| 理塘县| 辽阳市| 衡南县| 轮台县| 溧水县| 普宁市| 同心县| 大安市| 固始县| 潞西市| 健康| 德安县| 金川县| 柏乡县| 伊川县| 施秉县| 且末县| 洪洞县| 太仓市| 平舆县| 高要市| 荔波县| 凤庆县| 于田县| 都安| 介休市| 建德市| 莱州市| 西华县| 韶关市| 田阳县| 遂宁市|