3D printing is a kind of rapid prototyping technology, also known as additive manufacturing. It is a technology based on digital model files and using bondable materials such as powdered metal or plastic to construct objects by layer-by-layer printing. . From the perspective of the 3D printing industry chain, the upstream industry mainly includes raw materials, core hardware and auxiliary tools, etc.; the midstream mainly includes equipment manufacturers and 3D printing service solutions; the downstream industries are mainly used in machinery manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, medical , education, military, culture, etc., special applications mainly include biology, food, construction, portrait printing, etc.
3D printing materials are one of the midstream links that support 3D printing. According to statistics, 3D printing materials are mainly divided into two categories: metal materials and non-metal materials. Among them, metal materials mainly exist in the form of powder, while non-metal materials are relatively widely used. , mainly including engineering plastics, photosensitive resins, synthetic rubber, ceramics and other non-metallic materials. Engineering plastics are currently the most widely used 3D printing materials, and have the characteristics of impact resistance, heat resistance, and aging resistance; liquid photosensitive resins have the characteristics of fast curing speed, high temperature resistance, and light sensitivity High parts are widely used; synthetic rubber has good tensile strength, mainly used in medical equipment, automotive interiors and other fields; ceramics have good chemical stability and strong corrosion resistance, and are widely used in aerospace and biological industries and other fields.
With the continuous enrichment of upstream raw materials, it has greatly promoted the expansion of the application field of the 3D printing industry, and also promoted the expansion of the industry from the consumer market to the high-end manufacturing market. For now, the application fields of my country’s 3D printing industry mainly include construction machinery, aerospace, automobiles, consumer & electronics, medical & dental, academic institutions, government & military, construction, and others. In terms of construction machinery, the application of 3D printing technology is mainly reflected in the 3D printing additive technology, the combination with CNC technology, and the change of the machinery manufacturing pattern, which plays an important role in improving the overall production efficiency and reducing production costs; in aerospace , 3D printing technology can quickly manufacture some complex parts, and can also quickly repair existing parts; in terms of automobiles, it can be applied to the research and development of automobile shape design, can print out models in a short time, and can quickly make shapes Complex parts and realize low-volume custom parts.
3D printing technology has been continuously improved under the influence of policies, coupled with the rapid development of downstream industries, the demand for 3D printing equipment has surged, which has led to further expansion of the market size of the industry. According to statistics, the market size of my country’s 3D printing industry is on the rise. In 2017, the market size was only 9.8 billion yuan. By 2021, the 3D printing market size will reach 26.5 billion yuan, an increase of 16.7 billion yuan. It is expected to maintain the growth trend in 2022. The market size reached 34.45 billion yuan. Judging from the revenue of subdivided fields in 2021, the revenue of 3D printing equipment accounted for more than 50%, ranking first. It can be seen that its equipment is the main part of the 3D printing industry. Secondly, the revenue of 3D printing services accounted for 21%, and materials accounted for 16%.
With the continuous promotion and popularization of 3D printing technology, the sales of 3D printing equipment for personal consumption are growing rapidly. According to China Customs data, the number of 3D printing exports in my country will be 2.873 million units in 2021, an increase of 13% compared with 2020; 2022 The number of exports in the first three quarters was 1.452 million units, an increase of 25 percentage points from the same period in 2021. Judging from the data in recent years, the number of 3D printing exports in China has been on the rise. From 2017 to 2020, the number of exports rose from 656,000 units to 2.539 million units. As the base continued to increase, its growth rate increased from The 85 percent in 2017 dropped to 42 percent in 2019, before rising to 77 percent in 2020.
With the continuous support of national policies, the technology of the 3D printing industry has been continuously developed, which in turn has promoted the increase in the number of patent applications in the 3D printing industry. From the perspective of the number of 3D printing patent applications, from 2017 to 2020, the number of 3D printing patent applications in China is on the rise, from 5,718 in 2017 to 7,501 in 2020, and the number of patent applications will gradually decline by 2021. The number of patent applications in 2022 is also on a downward trend, reaching 3,597, a decrease of 3,021 compared with the whole year of 2021.
