In
the past two years, 3D printing industry has entered a stage of rapid
development along with the popularity of desktop 3D printer. Many companies
have made great breakthrough in this industry, using polylactic acid (PLA, the
most widely used biodegradable material) as one main material, according to Biomaterial China
News issued by
CCM in August.
On
June 20, 2013, Stratasys, an international giant in 3D printing industry, has
just declared to purchase another famous 3D printer producer, Makerbot, to
develop its low-end products market that uses PLA as the main raw material. On
Jan. 3, 2013, another 3D printing giant 3D Systems announced that it has agreed
to purchase Geomagic, the world's leading provider of 3D software for creating
digital models, to further expand its current product lineup that also uses PLA
as the main raw material.
PLA,
one of the two raw materials (the other is ABS,
acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) for desktop 3D printers, can be applied in
various fields. As a green biodegradable material, the PLA printing-supplies in
3D printing industry have been tested by major European and US certification
institutions, proving that they are safe, environmentally friendly and have
good mechanical property, and generally, the PLA 3D printing technology can be
widely applied in toys, home products, electronics, automobiles, medical treatment
and other fields.
The
developed countries in the world have made great achievements in the
application of 3D printing. In the US, the biodegradable plastic
produced by 3D printers has been widely applied in various fields, especially
in the children's toys field where the 3D printing technology is already very
mature. In the high-end products market, the world's first car to have its body
mostly 3D printed (Urbee 2) was completed in Feb. 2013 by the US-based Kor
Ecologic Inc., and this car is safe and considered to be the greenest practical
car ever made on earth. These achievements may stimulate the market demand for
biological materials along with the rapid development of 3D printing industry.
According to the statistics from Wohlers Associates, a 27-year-old independent
consulting firm focusing on 3D printing industry research, the global sales of
3D printing products (including printing-supplies) reached about USD2.20
billion in 2012, up about 29% compared with USD1.71 billion in 2011. Besides,
it also estimated that the global market size of 3D printing will reach USD5
billion in 2017, and even hit USD10.8 billion in 2021.
In
China, some domestic enterprises have also made some achievements in 3D
printing in recent years. In June 2013, Tianjin Visual Sensitive Technology
Co., Ltd., a company engaged in 3D digital technology, achieved the
mass production of 3D printers mostly using PLA as raw material. In Oct. 2012,
Shenzhen BrightChina Industrial Co., Ltd. (BrightChina), a leading PLA producer
in China, cooperated with Shenzhen Weistek Technology Co., Ltd. (Weistek) to
develop 3D printing business through a capital increase and injecting PLA
printing-supplies business into Weistek (Please refer to Biomaterial China News
1302, BrightChina cooperates with Weistek to develop 3D printing business for
more details).
However,
China's 3D printing industry is still at the early stage of development.
Domestic 3D printing enterprises are small and scattered, and the equipment and
printing-supplies (the quality of domestic PLA is not so good) greatly rely on
the import, leading to the high production cost in domestic 3D printing
industry. But Mr. Luo, Secretary-General of Chinese 3D Printing Industry
Alliance, said that the Chinese market still has a great potential, since the
Chinese government attaches great importance to the emerging 3D printing
industry and people's demand for customized products in which the advantage of
3D printing technology lies becomes stronger. Mr. Luo estimated that the market
size of 3D printers in China will expand to USD1.63 billion by 2016, overtaking
the US as the world's largest 3D printing market.
Globally,
governments are also increasing their supports for 3D printing industry in the
past two years. In Feb. 2012, the US government declared that it listed 3D
printing technology as one of the national 15 key technologies. In May 2013,
the US government further invested USD200 million in the establishment of three
institutes engaged in researching 3D printing technology, which provides a
positive signal for the global 3D printing industry. In April 2012, China's
Ministry of Science and Technology also promulgated the National High-tech
R&D Program (863 Program), including 3D printing industry for the first
time.
Although
3D printing industry has drawn so much attention, the limitation of
printing-supplies remains a big problem for this industry. For example, the
relatively high price and unstable quality of PLA limit its application scope.
However,
3D printing industry is still promising. The market price of PLA will decrease
when industrial production is achieved and its quality will be improved and
gradually become stable along with the development of production technology.
Besides, the materials for 3D printing industry can be expanded from biological
materials (PLA, etc.) to ceramics, metals, minerals, etc.
3D
printing industry enters stage of rapid development
A
new biomass fiber alliance established in Sichuan Province
China's
bio-based polyether polyol industry witnesses good momentum of development
China's
PVA market still depressed in Jan.-July 2013
Sichuan
Yinge's 50,000t/a bamboo fiber project goes into operation
BASF,
Caigill and Novozymes target bio-based acrylic acid
Xinjiang
Tianye's biodegradable agricultural film enters field trials
LDA
industry attracts some new participants in China
Potato
price fluctuates at a high level in Jan.-July 2013
China's
PLA foreign trade decreases in June 2013
China's
import volume of dry cassava decreases in June 2013
China's
import volume of castor oil and its derivatives increases in June 2013
Shandong
Fuwin exports 120,000 tonnes of PBS to Spain
Qingdao
University's algae fiber program gets technology approval by MOST
Europe
to invest USD5.05 billion in commercialization of bio-based products
Jilin
Province publishes document on developing PLA industry
Evonik's
bio-based PA12 plant put into operation
Biomaterials China News, with 12 to 14 topics in one issue, published by CCM on 8th
every month, will bring you the latest information on the market dynamics,
company dynamics, new biomaterials products, new biomaterials technology development,
new legislations as well as policies and raw material supply dynamics, which are
shaping the significant market intelligence of the industry.
CCM is dedicated to market research in China
Guangzhou CCM Information Science & Technology Co., Ltd.
17th Floor, Huihua Commercial & Trade Mansion, No.80 Xianlie Zhong Road, Guangzhou 510070, China
17th Floor, Huihua Commercial & Trade Mansion, No.80 Xianlie Zhong Road, Guangzhou 510070, China
Tel: 86-20-37616606
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