China Watch #2: JLC goes public with a valuation of over RMB 115 billion (and nine other stories)
JLC goes public, eSUN prints at 1000 mm/s, Bambu Lab opens a store in Thailand, and China introduces six new standards for metal 3D printing
Hi, this is the second edition of China Watch. A week ago, I promised that every seven days I would bring you the most important developments from the Chinese 3D printing market. I’m back because, over there, nobody is slowing down.
The ten stories below all happened within the last few days. Let’s start with the stock market.
JLC goes public
On August 4, 2026, JLC made its debut on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. On its first day of trading, the share price jumped by more than 177%, pushing the company’s market capitalization above RMB 115 billion. JLC operates what it calls a super factory: 1355 industrial 3D printers, seven technologies and more than 30 materials. In the first half of 2025, its 3D printing revenue grew 39.1% year over year.
The company sells one thing: a fast transition from design to finished part. From PCB manufacturing, through additive manufacturing and CNC machining, to FA components. Everything in one place, mainly for robotics and aerospace.
QIDI: a new printer and its 3D models platform
QIDI has unveiled the Plus5, a large-format FFF printer with a 320×320×300 mm build volume. That is 18% more than the Plus4, while maintaining the same overall footprint. The list of changes includes linear rails on the X-axis, a 1.5GT belt, automatic leveling through nozzle touch, third-generation active chamber heating (65°C, 550 W), and a new extruder cooling system.
An AI camera detects failed prints, while a three-stage HEPA and carbon filtration system cleans the air. The QIDI Maker app allows users to slice and print a model directly from their phone with a single tap. The price is $749, or $700 as an introductory price for community members.
Under the same QIDI brand, the company has also launched the QIDI Maker community platform for sharing models and print profiles.
Users can upload, download, rate and remix projects, with original designs kept separate from remixes. To publish something, users have to add real photos of the printed part as proof that the project actually works. AI-generated content is allowed, but it has to be labeled. It is the same model Bambu Lab pioneered with MakerWorld: hardware plus a place where the community lives.
eSUN and 1,000 mm/s printing
I wrote about eSUN last week, in connection with its financial results. Now the company has launched PLA-HF, a filament designed for high-speed printing.
The material prints reliably at 600 mm/s and can reach 1,000 mm/s at peak speed without sacrificing quality. eSUN attributes this to fast melting, low specific heat capacity (which allows the layer to cool faster), and strong interlayer bonding. Tensile strength in the Z axis is 32 MPa. In practice, the company says it can reduce print times by 30% to 50%. The filament is already available through eSUN’s Tmall store.
ELEGOO is working on multiple nozzles
According to 3Dzyk, ELEGOO is probably preparing an FFF printer with multiple printheads. A launch could come as early as October 2026. The company has filed two patents covering rotating nozzle systems. The first (CN122077926A) describes nozzles mounted on a rotating disk, with precise positioning and locking. The second (CN122425890A) covers a rotating and lifting nozzle carrier. Both are designed to enable fast and precise material or color changes.
Six months ago, ELEGOO received an investment from DJI, and the money was reportedly accompanied by technological know-how and a stronger supply chain. A patent is still not a product, but clearly something is happening.
Bambu Lab opens premium store in Thailand
Bambu Lab has opened its first authorized premium store in Thailand, at Siam Paragon in central Bangkok. Next to it is a Bambu World pop-up (August 1 to September 30, 2026), a place where people can actually touch and test 3D printing.
There is a learning zone, weekly workshops, and a marketplace connecting students, designers and people looking to build businesses around 3D printing. The centerpiece is a two-meter-tall model of Siam Paragon, assembled from more than 200 printed parts. The Thai market has grown by more than 200% year over year, so this move makes sense.
PEEK and PEKK on demand: INTAMSYS and JLC
INTAMSYS, together with the aforementioned JLC, has launched an online PEEK and PEKK printing service based on dozens of high-temperature industrial FUNMAT printers.
The offering covers a broad range of materials, from high-performance polymers (PEEK, PEKK) to engineering plastics (PPA-CF, PA12-CF, PC-ABS). With actively heated chambers and JLC’s high-speed Apollo systems, the company promises batch-to-batch consistency and short lead times. The service operates globally through the JLC platform.
GRIPM bets on aerospace
GRIPM Advanced Materials has announced that its 3D printing facility in Shandong province will reach around 30% of its planned capacity next year. Most of the production will go to commercial aerospace.
The facility has a target capacity of 4580 tons per year and has attracted RMB 200 million in investment. Production is scheduled to start in October 2026. Components such as rocket thrust chambers and turbine pumps require high-performance metal powders and strict quality standards. GRIPM is moving from selling materials alone toward delivering complete solutions for specific applications.
Six new standards for metal 3D printing
On August 1, 2026, six national standards for 3D printing came into force in China. They cover metal 3D printing, including L-PBF and L-DED.
The standards cover specifications for titanium alloy parts, quality classification and inspection of L-PBF metal parts, a defect atlas for industrial endoscopy, requirements for aluminum alloys in PBF, zinc alloy powders, and qualification requirements for coordinators.
The goal is simple: consistent quality and greater confidence in aerospace, medical and automotive applications. China now has 94 national standards in this area, with four more awaiting implementation.
First Chinese hip implant in Pakistan
At Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital in Pakistan, a personalized porous hip implant from Huaxiang Medical has been implanted for the first time outside China.
The patient was a 26-year-old man with hereditary multiple exostoses and secondary chondrosarcoma. Doctors used a custom-designed hemipelvic prosthesis and surgical guides manufactured by Huaxiang using Farsoon printer. The operation was planned in advance using 3D-printed tumor models, allowing the surgeons to perform the resection and reconstruction with precision. Postoperative imaging confirmed good fit and stability.
Huaxiang already has seven Class III medical device registrations for orthopedic implants.