Attractive applications
Against such a backdrop, many technology companies have zeroed in on the industry as a potential growth business. For example, the France-based 3D software provider Dassault Systemes has been looking into 3D printing as a new way to design industrial parts.
"What is highly attractive with the technology is that you can redefine the shape of parts as you are no more constrained [by traditional manufacturing techniques]," Olivier Sappin, vice president of Transportation & Mobility Industry at Dassault, told the Global Times Thursday.
"So far it has been used a lot for prototypes [of potential future products], but more and more I think we'll start to see more industry application,"he noted.
In June 2015, Dassault announced a partnership with French technology firm Safran to look into developing a digital solution for the 3D printing of aerospace engine parts.
Yet, despite all the hypes and expectations surrounding the technology, 3D printing is rarely used to create products that are sold directly to customers.
Until now, the most popular 3D-printed products are in the business of dentistry.
Patients' customized needs for dental crowns, bridges and orthodontic braces offer a market niche for 3D printing, which could make the most of its application value, Liu Jin, general manager of Jiangsu Ouring 3D Technology Co, said at a conference held during the 3-day expo.
The problem of profits
All this sounds good, but there is a critical problem. China's 3D printing industry still isn't making money, Luo said.
"The Chinese 3D printing industry is generally not profitable in that the technology development hasn't reached a turning point for wider application," Luo noted.
Over the past 15 years, the 3D printing technology has changed very little, said Bill O'Neill, a professor of laser engineering at University of Cambridge and vice chairman of the World 3D Printing Technology Industry Association.
"The Chinese government is having a lot of inspirations … additive manufacturing will change the industrial position, but it will only change the industrial position if it can be faster. You need more speed, significantly more speed," O'Neill said at the industry conference on Wednesday.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has stressed the importance of 3D printing on several occasions over the last few years. During a speech to the State Council, China's cabinet, Li referred to 3D printing as "representative of a disruptive technology in the manufacturing industry … which has transformed traditional conceptions and methods of manufacturing," the South China Morning Post reported in August 2015.
"From my understanding, 3D printing will never completely replace mass production, and it may only drive the transformation of traditional industries by changing certain processes, therefore integration of the additive manufacturing and traditional production should be promoted," Yao Shan, a professor of material sciences and engineering at Dalian University of Technology, said at the conference on Wednesday.
The view was echoed by Gan Dunwen, deputy director general and chief engineer of the Locomotive and Car Research Institute of Beijing Zongheng Electro-Mechanical Technology Development Co, which supplies key parts and technical solutions to China's high-speed railway.
"We have no plan to use the technology to make locomotive parts yet because the material doesn't meet the requirements," Gan told the Global Times on Thursday.
"We are currently trying to use 3D printing for casting molds, which will reduce production cycle time and allow us to react quicker to different customer needs."
