Entrepreneur Readme: How I run a 3D printing company

May 28, Shenzhen will enter the hot summer. In the exhibition center held in 2013 China 3D printing industry development and application of the Summit Forum (hereinafter referred to as the Forum), old Huang busy with many people in the industry exchange business cards.

"I heard that many experts, leaders and investors will come, so I came, I want to accumulate more resources," Huang told me.

Old Huang used to be the Shenzhen new energy automobile manufacturer Wuzhou Dragon's senior staff, now in the sea to create their own business. The point he chooses is just the rise of the 3D print. In the old yellow view, 3D printing theme, good prospects, the future financing easier, very consistent with his "cause" concept; Most importantly, it is not yet the Red Sea, it is not too late.

"My friends and I raised 1 million," Huang said, "The model is very simple, as others do now: either the agent to do the distribution, or the assembly to change to do their own brand."

The business logic of old Huang is actually the business logic of most people. "This practice more or less caused by the current domestic 3D printing, at least desktop-level 3D printing field Status-agent, assembly, lack of core," the National Yuan Securities chief analyst Bell Sharp comments, "but the interest of the capital is still very large, because of the broad application prospects. ”

Mr. Huang says he is just one of many Chinese entrepreneurs and Chinese partners. But that is the "old Yellow", which constitutes what we now see in the domestic desktop-level 3D print eco-circle. Along with his logic, we can better understand the current domestic 3D printing industry, exactly what it looks like.

Okay, the hardware is open.

"I am going to hire a few college students, understand English, and specifically to me to go abroad to the open source hardware community to get information," Huang said.

The so-called open source hardware refers to the computer and electronic hardware designed in the same way as free and open source software. If the hardware is open source, its design plans, raw materials, and the software executed above have been authorized, you can download the specification and then modify and assemble the original product according to your personal preference, or pay a little assembly fee to the manufacturer to get it ready for you, then mass production and sales.

Yes, well, open source hardware is not just about giving the fish, it's about giving it a fishing.

The old yellow meaning is clear--let "English-speaking college students" Download design drawings, specifications, control software, and creative common documents from foreign open source hardware community?????? Then, belong to Old Huang's own brand so gorgeous Li was born.

If you hate to download Ah, assemble ah very troublesome, there is a more ready-made way, direct purchase of foreign open source 3D printer manufacturer's solution. MakerBot, Candyfab, Reprap, Fab@home and Solidoodle, you choose.

Now the main open source hardware of 3D printing technology is Arduino, an electronic prototype platform developed by 5 international engineers, including a circuit board with simple I/O effect and a program development environment. Now the domestic desktop players mainly modify or imitate the Master 3D printer, most of the Arduino for the "blueprint" to improve, so they are in the final analysis is the use of Arduino as the master control equipment. The above several large open source 3D printing business, without exception.

These foreign open source 3D Printer Factory chamber provides a complete set of hardware, software, assembled solutions, and the domestic players will pay them a certain amount of money, the solution to buy back, the corresponding materials to replicate, and then assemble the parts. In addition, the cost is also very low: Solidoodle launched the second-generation 3D printer, the lowest end of the configuration of only 499 U.S. dollars (about 3,043 yuan), the highest version is only on this basis plus 99 U.S. dollars (about 603 yuan).

Low cost plus open hardware imitation right, old Huang said, do not start their own business.

The smart ones are not just old yellow. Vistek is Shenzhen local, early into the desktop level of 3D printing manufacturers, it is familiar with this way-it was the main product, model WT1 printer, with the open source 3D printer manufacturer MakerBot first generation technology.

Plainly, everyone should be thankful: thanks to the open source of hardware.

Agent？ It's a mess.

Vistek is more ambitious, and does not want to gamble on Open-source technology. It wants to make its own brand, and it wants to have its own patent. "We're making a patent now," Wei, Chief sales officer at Victoria, told me: "There's been a little progress now, and we've made our own internal structure patent." The extrusion head is the machine material comes out of that small hole, our technology makes it not easy to block material, keep the material stability. ”

This is a small, technical breakthrough on the surface, but you think a little deeper, what David is doing now is using patents to create barriers to the competition of the Independent brand: you want to use? OK, give me the money.

Old Huang obviously does not want in the independent brand's circle inside with the Invid and so on the first in circles. The way he was going was more direct and more savage. In addition to the use of open source hardware, the old yellow planning is directly to find the domestic manufacturers have not hooked up the line of foreign brands, to take the right to proxy.

"Stratasys is very famous, but chaos, countless homes are said to be its agent, I will not do this has been done by others ' cooked ' brand." Old Huang said.

That is true. Baidu Stratasys in China's general agent (note can not miss a "total" word), you will find that Shanghai Fu Netherfield Technology Development Co., Ltd. I called, and a sales director surnamed Liu told me that his family is indeed, but Stratasys has at least 15 agents at all levels in China except their home. There are some well-known, such as Shenzhen Pu Li.

I call Pulli again, and expressed a strong, want to become its two agents of interest, the other side refused me: "We do not need agents, we are agents, we do Stratasys has been done for 10 years."

In addition, at the end of last year to kill into the 3D printing field but the Jin Xian extraordinary Robot Technology Co., Ltd., walking is also the agent of the road: they won the Replicator Desktop 3D printer proxy. Once again I consulted with the franchisee, and its sales representatives kindly advised me not to make such an idea, because in addition to their home, Beijing and Shenzhen have already made the Replicator agent.

In fact, don't say Beijing and Shenzhen, in Xian, there is another XI ' an Hai Hui Trade Co., Ltd. also claimed to have taken the replicator and MakerBot Shandong Regional Total agent right.

XXX national General agent, XXX South China general agent, XXX, the largest agent in Huabei area, XXX, the only agent in Huaxi region??? This dazzling array of names illustrates the same thing-many domestic players are making wedding dresses for others to earn the difference.

"By 2016, 3D Printing would create 3.1 billion of billions of dollars in industrial value," a report from the US Voorhis company, which tracks 3D printing technology, said. According to this amount, the current domestic desktop-level city this piece is also in the rapid growth, is able to maintain these gold miners, "Shenzhen new Industry and Financial Research Institute senior Researcher, Dr. Du Xiaofen said," Do agent is relatively quick to open the market, but this model is not conducive to domestic manufacturers to build their own core technology. "

"Core technology what we still have time to study, the first to take down the agency, quickly enter the market," the old yellow is clearly based on their own commercial considerations. Lao Huang and the Netherlands open source 3D printer manufacturer Ultimaker has been talking for a long time, and has entered the "substantial stage": "I am ready now, the company registered capital of 1 million, agent right if there is an accident, I go to assemble this road." I first entered the community, to the family to do personalized customized services, such as playing some toys and so on, a service charge.

In the end, Huang's detailed account of his career ends with the following two words:

Me: "Write your business model, will you?" ”

Huang: "Write Bai, in fact, do this all heart know, everybody is so play." ”

(Responsible editor: Lu Guang)