3D printer on the scene, to improve consumer awareness

A high degree of simulation of the dolls, pistols, prostheses ... You just light the "print" button on the screen, complete a series of digital slices with computer-aided design, and transfer the slices ' information to the 3D printer, which stacks the continuous thin layer until a solid object is formed. 3D Printing This High-tech technology, known as the third Industrial revolution, has received increasing attention from all walks of life. Recently, various types of small desktop 3D printers began in Beijing east, Taobao and other large electric Shangping Taiwan debut. Does this herald a clarion call from 3D printing to the average family? The popularization of 3D technology need to go through what narrowed and smooth, is Super speed Czech, or fight protracted war? Further observations and factual tests are required.

Market research

3D printer appearing on the electric dealer

Jingdong Mall in May the beginning of the cube 3D printer, the printer price of 14999 yuan, since the start of the day less than a week, has 10 reservations.

In Taobao, a price of 5261 yuan double nozzle 3D printer Nearly one months sold up to 132 units, turnover ahead of other printers. Its record shows that almost every day since the sale of consumer online purchase. Other brands of 3D printers and related printing products in Taobao has a total of 500 balance. Obviously, in the 3D printing has not yet popularized the current, Taobao 3D print series of merchandise camp has begun to take shape. According to this 5261-yuan 3D printer sellers, the current buyers to schools, research units mainly, less personal purchase. Ask the identity of the individual user, the seller does not know.

has already bought the consumer to reflect, the price ratio can accept. There are also consumers think: "For domestic machines, this price can achieve such performance, has been very good." But still feel more expensive, print the small place or the effect is poor. ”

When buyers are talking about the printer, their demand for independent development of print design software is strong.

It is understood that 3D printing technology is now widely used in aerospace and other industrial design, and the proportion of small civil. The current 3D applications account for more than 70% per cent of the global aerospace and automotive manufacturing sector, while the proportion of consumer products biased towards civilian consumption is only about 20% per cent, according to a new study published by IDTechEx, an independent market research firm.

In the civil area, in addition to the network of 3D crafts, toys, educational institutions use 3D printing for children's creative cultivation, as well as 3D photography and other portrait customization or will become the new trend of 3D printing.

In the United States, because of the demand for personalized design in the home, and so the high penetration rate. Some industry insiders said that the home 3D printer in the United States has been to "every 4 kilometers within the range of a" level of popularity. Crump, CEO of Stratasys, a world-class veteran 3D print company, says it will launch 3D printers priced below 5000 dollars to expand the market for ordinary consumers. Crump also said that Stratasys will build a hardware and software integration System, online platform to set up, users can download 3D printing scheme, at home can print a variety of interesting things.

But the recent U.S. use of 3D print guns has caused controversy, but also led to some consumers of 3D printing questions. The emergence of new things may arouse people's concern and controversy, and reference to foreign status quo, serve, or will become a lot of enterprises to develop and expand the way.

As the largest set of 3D experience, personalized customization and printer sales in Beijing, the establishment of Beijing Billiton Science and Technology Co., Ltd. originates from its chairman, Zhou Mifang, who studied abroad in France.

Now at the same time as 3D printing Technology Service Innovation Strategic alliance Secretary-General Zhou Mifang from 3D Printing research experts, Southwest Jiaotong University professor Lu Bingheng academician. When studying in France, we found that the application of 3D technology in Europe is very extensive in both industrial production and civil use. After returning home in 2003, founded in Wuxi, Jiangsu, engaged in 3D equipment research and development and sales agent business. The following year presided over the Wuxi "based on networked new product rapid manufacturing generic technology project." Through the previous study abroad and early practice, Zhou Mifang to believe that 3D printing is a promising industry.

In the current global market, the 3D print market last year amounted to $2.204 billion trillion, up 29% per cent from the 2011 1.714 billion dollar scale.

Printing costs as a limiting factor

Beijing newspaper reporter found that the online sale of 3D printer price in 3000 yuan to millions of dollars, and 3D printed toys, jewelry, etc. also in the hundreds of yuan to thousands of dollars.

It is understood that 3D industrial printing is in the direction of complementary with traditional processing methods. By the extension of science and technology founded in China's first online 3D printing electric business platform, the head of the Shao told Beijing Business newspaper reporter, the market demand for 3D industrial printers is growing at a rate of 20% to 30% each year, but the cost of buying or printing materials is too expensive for many small businesses to bear.

Shao also introduced, the current printing supplies are basically imported, the average printing cost of about 16 yuan per gram.

As China's leading industrial software supplier, Beijing Digital Generosity Technology Co., Ltd. is also committed to independent research and development of 3D design software. Enterprise market leader revealed that the current set of imported design software needs tens of thousands of yuan or even hundreds of thousands of yuan. In view of the high cost of 3D design software, Enterprise last year to develop and promote the "industrial cloud" services, building cloud design, cloud manufacturing, cloud resources, Cloud community, cloud services platform, designed to reduce the threshold of design and manufacturing, 3D design, printing, manufacturing and other resources to share, so that the cost of 3D design software reduced to hundreds of yuan.

For cloud platform development, as a peer Shao that many consumers are not professional designers, which requires enterprises to provide a variety of 3D design solutions, which requires a cloud platform to achieve sharing. Once implemented, cloud sharing enables consumers to have more print choices, stimulating demand and driving the sale of 3D desktop printers.

"High printing costs do hinder the family of 3D printing to some extent." Professor Feng of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, said that 3D data access is one of the bottlenecks of 3D printing market, if we can achieve extensive software development and resource sharing, we can reduce the printing cost to some extent.

In addition to printer purchase and product printing costs, for printing technology research and development costs, Zhou Mifang that many research institutions to vigorously develop 3D printer products, originated from the Ministry of Education funds and technical support. But relying only on state funding, the size and quality of enterprises is bound to be restricted.

In the 3D concept popularization stage, some enterprises have said their confusion. As the earliest engaged in 3D technology and independent research and development-oriented economic entities, Beijing Ye Xu Tao Times Technology Co., Ltd. deputy general manager of the current online sales of 3D printers more use of imported open source system, and independent research and development of the composition of less, and some consumers of independent research and development of the performance of the model and so

"Domestic 3D lack of brand effect, the lack of relevant after-sales and independent research and development." "Ye Xu Tao said that the cost of independent research and development earlier than the direct use of import system reprocessing costs, from short-term profit, so many companies do not want to do independent research and development." But in the long run, although a lot of research and development in the early stage, but later can reduce the price of the machine sales, so that consumers accept.

For independent research and development, some enterprises say that importers master the material formula, can also be a monopoly on prices. Only after the production of their own research and development of materials, can greatly reduce the cost of material use. Also engaged in 3D printing Shaanxi Hengtong Intelligent Machinery Co., Ltd., its own intellectual property rights of the 3D printer, the price is only 1/3 of imported machines.

Efforts to improve consumer awareness

In the current, if not often online shopping, exhibitions or visit 3D development enterprises may be difficult to access to 3D printing technology. It is understood that China's 3D technology as early as the end of the century has started, and today only gradually into the minds of ordinary people.

3D printing technology used to be called "material making", and the change of name also plays a key role in the cognitive improvement of 3D technology. "It's hard to understand that if you just use the name ' Feng ', it's difficult to see if you switch to ' 3D print ', it's intuitive to understand that it's used to print stereo objects, and to arouse curiosity," says the man. ”

In view of the difficulty of 3D printing, some 3D enterprises began to improve their knowledge of 3D printing by organizing consumer interaction. Beijing Digital Generous Technology Co., Ltd. has been holding a 3D design competition every year since 2011. According to the enterprise market leader, the first competition, mainly it senior people and 3D enthusiasts, less than two years, the participants expanded to students and some people without professional basis. In this regard, the enterprise side of the secret, as a specialized development of 3D design software enterprises, digital generosity will be professional strong, complex operation of the design software to simplify, so that software becomes easy to master.

This method has also become one of the key tools used by some peers to conquer the civil market. Beijing Billiton Technology Co., Ltd. is committed to the design of software "fool", automation, so that children can like painting to design 3D works. According to the project leader Lin, in the future to set up in the large business center children experience area, to the early childhood experience to attract children's eyes, and then arouse the concern of parents.

Lin at the same time made the assumption: "At present, the Internet has a parent of children painting the characters, animals all made of flannel toys." And the 3D experience also must open ' pen ma ma ' plan, lets the child want the toy to draw out, prints out. ”

Some companies have taken action to raise awareness. Beijing on the extension of science and technology since last year to take advantage of the location in Xicheng District, inviting students to visit enterprises. "Every week students come to visit." "Lin said.

At the same time, some scholars have issued the initiative, with the help of 3D printing "863" plan this opportunity, in primary and secondary school students of information Technology, labor, science and technology and other courses in the infiltration of 3D printing related knowledge, hope to get the attention and support of relevant departments.

Future research

3D printing popularization is a protracted battle

"3D Printing market is to be gradual, it needs a process." Feng that the reduction of the cost of use and the promotion of consumer cognition are complementary.

Only after the consumers have a certain understanding of 3D technology, will be concerned about it, put forward belong to the consumer's own needs. and consumer demand is the direction of 3D technology improvement and transformation. This allows 3D printing and consumer demand to take the same route. Consumers ' understanding and need for 3D technology can facilitate the extensive development of 3D printers or software, thus reducing costs.

On the other hand, cost reduction is also the key to consumer concern and recognition.

Although some enterprises have established their own interactive platform, but because at present in the 3D concept promotion stage, but also needs to enhance the cognition to the 3D interactive platform widespread use as well as the future marketability pioneer. This will take a certain amount of time, and the 100% penetration rate is impossible.

There are people in the industry analogy: "At present China's 3D technology is like the 1996 mobile phone industry in China." At that time, a Ericsson 388 price in 13000 yuan, in addition to expensive equipment, there is no Chinese system. So 3D technology in China needs to be in a variety of ways to reduce costs, but also have the ability to allow Chinese consumers to recognize the function, and first of all to let people understand it. ”

For the industry has said that 3D printers from the bulk of production is still relatively distant, but also have enterprises have made bold attempts. At a recently held China Guangdong International Intelligent City Technology application and Intelligent Life Smart Home Expo, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Cloud Computing industry Technology Innovation and Development center of the designer Wang Weixing introduced, the center developed 3D printer will be implemented in October this year mass production. Wang Weixing said that the initial research and development of the printer focused on consumer demand for personalized, priced at 5000 to 30,000 yuan, currently in Beijing and Dongguan and other land sales, orders are in short supply.

3D photography or civil market breakthrough

Last December, China's first 3D photo studio and the extension of the technology 3D printing Experience Pavilion opened to welcome guests. It is understood that the company will be the camera experience to fill the beginning of civil space.

"Consumers hear 3D photography, it is easy to produce and ordinary photography association, can stimulate consumers to understand the desire of 3D photography." "Shao Introduction, the creation of 3D photography, from the 3D application of personalized and small batch production of these two characteristics, the current civil aspect, 3D printing to personalized customization, and each person's profile itself with personality, can make consumers intuitively feel the meaning of personalized customization."

According to the introduction, on the extension of technology 3D printing experience Pavilion 3-5 people per day to this experience, the average price of 1500 yuan.

Following the extension of the technology 3D printing experience Pavilion unveiled in the capital, another 3D photo studio opened in Shanghai. It is understood that the shop accepts 10 customers ' appointments every day.

According to industry analysis, 3D photography technology will be used in the future wedding photography. "As a lifelong marriage, even if the price is expensive, consumers will not care." "On the extension technology 3D printing Experience Hall Operation Manager Lin Introduction."

As early as 2003 Zhou Mifang returned, has been able to do portrait of color 3D printer into the country. But in the 3D industrial application-oriented period, such equipment to display "talent", it is really not easy. Company in a period of time the main research and development of industrial 3D equipment, and civilian personalized custom equipment has been put on hold. With the 3D technology in recent years as a result of media publicity, such as gradually being understood, the function of its personalized customization has gradually been valued by some 3D enthusiasts, which led to the world's second, the first 3D printing experience Hall was born.