China Watch #1: a week on China’s 3D printing market
Bambu Lab is entering Apple stores, two Kickstarter campaigns continue to break records, exports, metal AM patents, and investments keep gaining momentum
Hi everyone. My name is Anna, and as Pawel Slusarczyk announced last Friday, I’m taking over Atomic Layers in its new format. This is the very first edition of China Watch. Every week I’ll be rounding up the most important news from China’s 3D printing industry - the stories that usually fly under the radar of Western media.
This is my debut in The 3D Printing Journal, right in the middle of the summer holidays. I know, not much is happening on our side of the world right now. So let’s make a deal: give this project a chance and stick with me at least until mid-September, when the market usually starts picking up again.
Then again... this is China. Those 14 stories below all happened within just the last five or six days. Nobody takes a break over there.
This is the first version of the format, and it will probably evolve over time. I’m curious myself to see what it’ll look like in two or three months. But for now - China Watch #1.
Bambu Lab: Apple Stores and education
Since the beginning of July, Bambu Lab has entered more than 60 authorized Apple stores across China. According to the company, it is the first consumer 3D printing brand to achieve this. The initial lineup includes the P2S model and PLA filament. Apple is putting 3D printers directly in front of customers who may never have considered them before.
At the same time, the company has launched Bambu EDU, a collaborative educational program focused on developing learning courses for children and families. Content creators will build complete educational programs around models previously published on MakerWorld. The courses will include parent-and-child sessions for children aged 4-9, as well as STEAM classes for ages 9-14. Bambu’s education team will help refine the teaching materials, and the finished courses will be published on the Handy EDU platform with global availability. Creators retain full credit and authorship of their work.
Kickstarter: full-color and record-breaking campaigns
HeyGears has raised more than $10 million on Kickstarter during the first week of its campaign for the G1 series. The company describes it as the world’s first desktop 3D printer combining full-color 3D printing with UV printing. Within the first 24 hours, the campaign surpassed $7.22 million, equivalent to around 50 million yuan. There are still 43 days left before the campaign ends.
Another campaign making headlines comes from Sovol. Its M1D multicolor desktop printer has already attracted more than $2.7 million from 1,710 backers, far exceeding its original $190,000 goal. At the heart of the machine is the hybrid DualX architecture: one fixed nozzle combined with six interchangeable print heads, allowing color changes in about five seconds while minimizing material waste. The Super Early Bird price starts at $1,299.
New consumer printers and hardware
Creality has unveiled the Ender-3 V3 Mega, priced at 3,399 yuan (~447,8 EUR). The printer offers a build volume of 420 × 420 × 420 mm and supports flexible TPU filaments with Shore hardness between 85A and 95A. Features include 81-point automatic bed leveling, vibration compensation, filament runout detection, and power-loss recovery. Remote monitoring is available through the Creality Cloud app.
ELEGOO has launched the H1 HT filament dryer. It accommodates standard 1 kg spools and reaches temperatures of up to 85°C, making it suitable for moisture-sensitive materials such as TPU and nylon. The dryer connects directly to the printer, features a 3.5-inch touchscreen, and includes 11 preconfigured material profiles. It is priced at $70, with shipping scheduled to begin in late August.
Materials
eSUN, the filament brand owned by Guanghua Weiye accelerated its product development during the first half of 2026. New releases include PLA-Coffee, lightweight PEBA-LW foam, photochromic PETG, upgraded ABS+, and medical-grade PLLA. The company generated 712 million yuan (~93,8 milion EUR) in revenue in 2025, an increase of +31.05% year over year, while sales of its 3D printing products grew by +40.25%. It has filed more than 100 patent applications and has been granted 96 patents.
Another company entering the consumer market is Shenzhen-based Shengjialun, a well-known manufacturer of TPE materials. The company is introducing TPE filaments designed for toys and everyday consumer products. For more than 20 years, it has supplied food-grade and child-safe soft materials to brands including Hasbro and McDonald’s, and is now expanding into the FFF 3D printing market. Two dedicated brands have been introduced: Xiantiao Bodian for children’s filaments and Shengjialun for flexible materials.
Exports and macro data
Guangdong province has released its economic results for the first half of 2026. Regional GDP grew by +4.5%, reaching 7.23 trillion yuan. Production of 3D printers in the province increased by +51.8%. Nationwide, output grew by +48.5%, while exports reached 3.62 million units, up +90.2% year over year.
It’s worth noting that the 90.2% figure refers to the number of units exported - the shipment volume. The monetary value of those exports is a separate metric and typically grows at a slower pace than unit sales. Shenzhen remains the country’s primary manufacturing hub, serving as home to companies including Creality, Bambu Lab, ELEGOO, and Anycubic.
Industrial segment
Construction continues on Shangpin Huayun’s new facility in the Fengjing Industrial Park, Huyi District, Xi’an. The 350 million yuan investment covers 16,735 m² of land and 29,240 m² of floor space. The facility will provide ceramic composite forming services, develop ceramic 3D printing equipment, and offer metal additive manufacturing services. Structural work has already been completed. Construction is expected to finish in October 2026, with full-scale production planned for December.
Xinjinghe Laser Technology Group, a manufacturer of additively produced aerospace metal components, has put a 3.2334% equity stake up for sale. The minimum asking price is 170 million yuan (approximately €22.4 million), implying a total company valuation of roughly 5.26 billion yuan (around €693 million). The stake is being sold by Yuhuan State-owned Investment. Founded in 2015, the company generated 533 million yuan in revenue and 39.45 million yuan in net profit during 2025. In December 2025, it officially began preparations for an IPO on China’s A-share market.
Finally, two noteworthy patent applications
Zhejiang Feiyue Group has filed patent CN122425892A covering a multi-nozzle switching system. The design enables automatic nozzle changes through a movable printhead base and independently mounted nozzles, simplifying multi-material printing and on-demand nozzle replacement.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi together with Anhui Zhongti New Materials, has filed patent CN122466309A for a titanium alloy powder intended for additive manufacturing. The material combines aluminum, vanadium, nitrogen, and titanium. The application was submitted in June 2026, and the project itself suggests Xiaomi is exploring the use of metal 3D printing in automotive component production.
That’s all for the first edition.
Let me know what you think. Is this the right direction, or is there something you’d like to see changed?