3D Printer Manufacturers: Consumer Electronics Sector Sees Significant Growth, "Dawn" Appears in Civil Aviation

With the steady recovery of the military and aviation sectors, the consumer market embracing the wave of affordable thousand-yuan machines, and accelerated breakthroughs in the high-end industrial sector, domestic 3D printing equipment manufacturers are standing at a new "windfall" due to multiple favorable factors.

Industry insiders in the 3D printing sector told reporters from Cailian Press that driven by AI large models empowering design and the continuous improvement of pricing strategies by leading manufacturers, the demand for personalized customization in the consumer sector continues to increase, making consumer-grade 3D printing equipment a driving force for industry growth. Currently, the military and aerospace sectors remain the primary revenue sources for leading 3D printing equipment manufacturers, while the civil aerospace sector's current business contribution is still small. As downstream application scenarios continue to expand, leading manufacturers are actively expanding production capacity to meet diversified downstream demand.

Consumer 3D printing market demand heats up

The 3D printing industry chain includes three segments: upstream materials, midstream equipment, and downstream services. According to data from the China Additive Manufacturing Industry Alliance, China's 3D printing industry market size is expected to reach 70 billion yuan in 2025, a year-on-year increase of approximately 30%. Currently, 3D printing technology in China has been applied to 39 major and 89 medium categories of the national economy, making concerted efforts in both the industrial and consumer sectors.

The rapid growth in the output of 3D printing equipment is inseparable from the booming consumer 3D printing market in China. The price of ordinary household 3D printers has dropped to the range of hundreds to thousands of yuan. As consumer electronic products such as foldable screens, wearable devices, and smart hardware develop towards lightness, high performance, and precision, metal 3D printing is gaining wider application in the 3C field due to its lightweight material applications, high-precision complex structure manufacturing capabilities, and customized production advantages. The consumer market is accelerating its upgrade from "early adoption spending" to "essential penetration," becoming a key driver for equipment manufacturers' short-term performance growth.

BrightLaser Technologies (688333.SH), a leading enterprise in the 3D printing equipment industry, recently released an announcement. The company expects to achieve an operating income of approximately 1.863 billion yuan in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of about 40.50%. Net profit attributable to owners of the parent company is estimated at approximately 209 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of about 100.96%, while net profit after deducting non-recurring gains and losses is expected to increase by approximately 313.89% year-on-year.

"The company laid out its plans in the consumer electronics field early and has accumulated years of technological expertise. In 2025, the company achieved a significant breakthrough in revenue from customized 3D printed products in the civilian sector, especially with a notable increase in sales of products in the consumer electronics field. We have already established partnerships with several leading enterprises," a person from BLT's securities department told Cailian Press.

It is worth noting that Farsoon Technologies (688433.SH) recently announced its plan to establish a new holding subsidiary to expand into the 3D printing service sector, focusing on processing services for civilian consumer goods (including but not limited to 3C, automotive parts, precision components, etc.). The company stated that end customers in the 3C industry generally hope that suppliers can provide integrated solutions of "equipment + materials + process + service" and offer diversified supporting services.

Mainstream market views suggest that the 3D printing equipment industry is entering a new stage of "technological deepening, ecosystem upgrading, and global competition." The competitive landscape for equipment manufacturers will shift from a sole focus on hardware to a comprehensive "hardware + software + content + service" ecosystem competition. Domestic substitution is expected to further extend into high-end sectors. According to an individual from Farsoon Technologies, "The greater market potential for this industry in the future will come from the civil sector."

It will take some time for the civil aviation sector to fully recover.

From an application perspective, aerospace, healthcare, and automotive manufacturing collectively account for 68% of 3D printing's industrial application market share, with aerospace alone making up 16.7%. Core components of the Zhuque-3 rocket and bionic joints for XPENG's IRON humanoid robot have already achieved batch application through 3D printing, which can reduce the number of rocket parts by 80% and manufacturing costs by 90%.

The aerospace sector demands extreme strength, lightweight design, and the integration of complex structures, which naturally aligns with the core characteristics of 3D printing technology. Taking rocket engines as an example—where manufacturing costs can account for up to 50% of the total rocket cost—3D printing is widely utilized in pursuit of ultimate performance and cost-efficiency.

Reporters from Cailianshe have learned that military-related business remains the primary source of revenue for several leading 3D printing manufacturers, while the revenue share from civil aviation remains relatively small. According to disclosures from BLT (Bright Laser Technologies), the company believes that commercial aerospace is still in the early stages of development, and its contribution to the company's total operating revenue will remain limited over the next few years. As of September 30, 2024, the company's commercial aerospace revenue accounted for approximately 3% of its total revenue for the period.

However, Huashu Hi-Tech recently stated in an institutional survey that judging from the bidding results of some projects in the aerospace field in 2025, industry demand has clearly recovered compared to the previous two years. At the same time, downstream customers are continuously increasing their requirements for lightweight and refined printing.

Several listed companies are expanding their production capacity.

According to publicly available information, several companies involved in 3D printing are expanding their production capacity. For example, Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) has ongoing projects including the Metal Additive Manufacturing Industrial Innovation Capability Construction Project (Phase III) and the Metal Additive Manufacturing Large-Scale Intelligent Production Base Project (Phase IV). According to the plan, Phase IV is expected to reach its intended usable state in December 2025. It is understood that the company's Phase IV project is being constructed on two plots of land, one of which has already started contributing partial revenue in 2025, while the other is still under construction. Phase III is expected to be put into production successively in the first half of this year. By then, BLT's production capacity will be significantly increased, enabling it to undertake larger-scale production orders.

A source from Huashu Hi-Tech told Cailian Press reporters that the current industry penetration rate of 3D printing is still low, and there is huge room for expansion in the future. With continuous technological iteration and the ongoing advancement of cost reduction and efficiency improvement, more and more application scenarios will be explored. 3D printing can process materials that are difficult to handle with traditional processes and manufacture complex structures that were previously impossible to achieve, thereby liberating design thinking and fully highlighting the technical advantages of 3D printing. "Once a new field achieves mass production, it will break through the industry ceiling."

A person from Bright Laser Technologies' securities department held a similar view, "We cannot predict in advance which industry's demand will grow faster; it depends on the adoption rate of 3D printing technology across various industries."

Several industry insiders also emphasized to the CLST reporter that although 3D printing has enormous potential for future development and broad application prospects, its industry application is a gradual process. It goes from technology implementation and feasibility demonstration to small-batch trial production, and only after multiple verifications can it truly enter the mass production stage. The implementation cycle of different application scenarios varies, mainly depending on the development plans of end customers and the overall development pace of the industry.