3D printing reshapes manufacturing (3)

"After more than a decade's research into 3D printing, people are gradually beginning to accept this new manufacturing concept. Of the two main opposing opinions, one has doubts about the production technology while the other has excessively high expectations," said Lu of Xi'an Jiaotong University.

He added that both opinions are biased. "3D printing technology is consistently improving. It just needs more research and development to make it possible to print objects using various materials. It is also worth noting there is no technology that can do absolutely anything," Lu said.

Many Chinese enterprises are keeping a close eye on the market potential for 3D printing and have started to develop their own printers. Beijing Tiertime Technology Co is one such example. The company has so far sold several thousand sets to the United States, but only several hundreds in the Chinese market.

"Our company has nearly 20 years of history. Our products for home use are priced at 9,999 yuan, while those for industrial applications are sold at 100,000 to 300,000 yuan a set," said Lin Yuting, an employee with Tiertime's marketing department.

Tiertime's Lin said most of their orders come from overseas markets including Europe and the US.

Admitting there is a gap in the application of 3D printing between China and abroad, Shi of Huazhong University of Science and Technology said the technology is widely used in product development in overseas markets including aerospace, medical treatment, innovation and education. Shi added there was little progress in such applications in China.