From the development opportunities, 2014 laser deposition 3D printing key technology "laser sintering" patent expires, should lead to the 3D printing market explosion. The last big open source FDM3D printer, but also because of fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology patent expire objectively eliminate the barriers to intellectual property. This seems to be a cycle of historical development. 3D printing was first used in industrial fields. For example, Boeing Company made use of 3D printing technology to manufacture about 300 different aircraft parts. However, it failed to achieve great development. However, after entering the field of personal consumption, it achieved greater success. Now back to the industrial area, may usher in a real sense of the great development. It is unavoidable that compared with the traditional production methods such as casting, milling, forging, welding and other metal machining and mold casting, the current 3D printing technology still takes longer time to shape and represents the new technological revolution. Industrial robots Consolidation of "China Zhi made" based on low cost more, can use less printed materials, limitations, poor mechanical properties, in most cases can not meet the requirements. 3D printing technology highlights certain machining advantages only when producing complex structural parts or prototypes.
According to statistics, in 2013 China's 3D printing market has reached about 1 billion yuan, 10 times in 2010. In addition to industrial equipment, a number of individual-oriented 3D printers are also found in big cities, but they are generally poor in quality and high in character. According to Gardner Consulting, the world's most authoritative IT research and consulting firm, 3D printing technology is at least five to 10 years old in China to be accepted by mainstream consumers. (Linz)
3D printing in the ascendant 3D printing technology originated in the United States
3D printing technology also originated in the United States. From the scale of view, the global 3D printing market in 2013 is about 4 billion U.S. dollars, Europe about 1 billion U.S. dollars and U.S. about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. From a manufacturing point of view, there are currently 49,000 professional-grade 3D printers sold globally, nearly three-fourths of which are made in the United States, followed by Europe (10.2%) and Israel (9.3%), while China has only 3.6%. From the technical level, the United States and Germany lead. Systems Inc. of the United States is the world's first manufacturer of industrialized 3D printing equipment, the largest scale. Another giant is the United States 3DSystems company, can provide a full range of industrial chain services. One can not fail to mention EOS, the German leader in laser sintering SLS technology, focusing on high-end precision components for the aerospace, medical and automotive industries. Customers include world-class manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, General Electric, BMW and Porsche. The author believes that Germany's industrial manufacturing experience may inspire China even greater.