Performance Tripled in 3 Years: Rongke Xuyang Deepens Focus on Metal 3D Printing Mold Industry

Mold making is not an industry where you can proceed just by having a drawing; you also need to consider its manufacturability and anticipate all potential issues throughout its entire production, usage, and lifecycle.

Zhu Ding, Founder of Shanghai Rongke Xuyang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.

Zhu Ding, Founder of Shanghai Rongke Xuyang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.

With 20 years of experience, he has helped BMW, Apple, and Tesla save hundreds of millions solely by leveraging the “ace” of metal 3D printing, which has increased the profit margin of molds by 30% and created a “mold miracle” of tripling annual revenue for three consecutive years.

Next, let's step into Shanghai Rongke Xuyang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. and have a conversation with its founder, Zhu Ding. Once considered a "slow child" by his family, how did this mold engineer manage to break the low-profit pattern of the mold industry through "mold expertise + metal 3D printing"? How did he end up being in high demand by clients? Furthermore, how does he offer a fresh perspective on untapped opportunities within the fiercely competitive mold industry?

God Loves "Silly Kid"

Just like in Andy Lau's song "Clumsy Child," Zong Zhu was born in the 1980s and has always been a few steps slower than others (he repeated a grade). While his peers of the same age had already graduated from college and started working to earn money, he was still preparing for the college entrance exam... So his aunt advised him to learn mold-making skills because his uncle worked in a mold factory in Guangdong and earned a high salary.

In the blink of an eye, the pandemic era arrived. In 2003, during the SARS outbreak, Mr. Zhu, who was supposed to start his internship early, was forced to stay put for three whole years. This, however, provided him with ample opportunity to deeply cultivate his technical skills, laying a solid foundation for his future career in mold making.

Flowers will naturally bloom. At that time, the mold industry was ushering in a wave of technological advancement: those skilled in technology from Hong Kong and Singapore took the lead in popularizing it in Guangdong. Back then, 95% of advanced equipment (such as machining equipment, mold accessories, and hot runner systems) relied on imports, and imported molds and accessories were expensive. The industry's profit margin was as high as 80%. In the words of Mr. Zhu, "With one injection molding machine making a mold, the investment can be recovered in three months."

The salary for mold making is very high. Mr. Zhu also leveraged his solid foundation in mold making to join a German-funded company in Guangdong, where he was responsible for mold design and project management, accumulating valuable practical experience.

A US-funded company in Dongguan undertook a European hearing aid project, with the core component being a 2mm micro coil (tolerance ±0.01mm, made of LCP material, as thin as a connector). During production, when the micro gate breaks, it can raise by 0.1-0.2mm, exceeding customer requirements, putting the company in a difficult situation. Mr. Zhu proposed a solution: create a 0.2mm depression at the injection point to allow the injection section to embed within it. Ultimately, even if a break occurs and raises, the deformation remains within the product surface, allowing for successful mass production.

During the production of BMW wheel speed sensors (which detect wheel rotation speed and consist of a Hall sensor at the front end and wiring at the back, installed on the wheel), the core chip previously had to be hot-riveted onto the mold frame. This process resulted in a 5% defect rate, and the high temperature often damaged the chip’s performance. Mr. Zhu improved the mold by designing a positioning slot to secure the chip and replaced hot riveting with simultaneous injection molding. As a result, the yield rate soared to 100%, significantly reducing costs for the BMW project.

From small to micro-scale injection molding to providing parts for high-end brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, Mr. Zhu is well-versed in various technical challenges and can enumerate them effortlessly. Leveraging project experience accumulated from foreign enterprises and a deep understanding of customer product needs, he has "blossomed and borne fruit" in the mold industry. When clients face difficulties, he is the first person they think of, and "growing together with clients" is always embedded in the company's DNA.

At this point, President Zhu also gained a profound understanding of molds: "Molds are by no means a simple industry where having a drawing is enough to make them; they are even more worthy of in-depth study than the end products."

Don't feel too bad. In 2009, molds gradually became popular domestically, and the localization of parts was achieved. The industry shed its "high-end" aura and fell into an "excessive volume and chaotic pricing" situation, with the return on investment continuously declining. Meanwhile, for 3C components like mobile phones, due to their large quantity, the molding cycle requirements for molds were pressed to be as short as possible, making the upgrade of the mold industry imperative.

During this period, Mr. Zhu first joined a French-funded company in Shanghai as an automotive interior mold engineer; later, he joined Aerospace Electromechanical as a mold supervisor, leading the development of automotive sensor molds. Although the state-owned enterprise was comfortable, he never stopped contemplating the transformation of molds.

Heaven favors the simple-minded. At this time, conformal cooling technology for metal 3D printing was quietly emerging. In 2017, after hearing about 3D printing technology, Mr. Zhu resolutely quit his six-year job at a state-owned enterprise and applied for a position as a mold manager. He discovered that conformal cooling channels in 3D printed molds could solve the cooling bottleneck—a field that very few people in China were involved in at the time. This not only gave him a new technical direction but also provided another opportunity, granted by fate, to change his life.

Just like Andy Lau’s lyrics say—"Heaven loves foolish children," fate always favors those who work hard quietly and steadfastly, even if they seem a bit clumsy.

Bending into the game, metal 3D printing beyond imagination.

Zhu Zong said that traditional mold forming has a long cycle and a low yield rate. If there is no price advantage, it basically has no competitiveness in the industry. Some factories even have zero profit and rely on volume to maintain their market share.

How to maximize the functionality of molds—both by compressing the cooling and forming cycle to the shortest possible time and significantly improving the product yield rate—has always been a deeply ingrained challenge in the mold industry.

In 2019, Mr. Zhu put his entire fortune on the line and personally entered the field by founding Shanghai Rongke Xuyang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. With a precise focus on the niche segment of metal 3D printing molds, the company not only addressed core issues of traditional molds such as "long forming cycles and low yield rates," but also empowered end enterprises through customized design. It even overcame technical bottlenecks that were difficult for the clients themselves to solve, delivering value far beyond expectations.

△Rongke Xuyang Main Business Introduction

Conformal cooling technology solves the cooling challenge of Tesla's large die casting. The Tesla Model Y is the first to integrate multiple rear axle castings into a single component, requiring large die-casting equipment. However, "uniform cooling of large die-casting molds" is a global industry challenge. Tesla has chosen conformal cooling technology, and Mr. Zhu had previously developed two sets of such molds for its European operations, helping to overcome this pain point.

△Rongke Xuyang Printing Case

The molding cycle of 3C products can be halved, with a yield rate close to 100%. 3C products often require stocking 20 to 30 million units within a short period, necessitating the simultaneous opening of 100–200 sets of molds and matching 200 injection molding machines to support new product launches. These products mostly feature cavity structures. Without conformal cooling channels, the single-mold molding cycle often exceeds one minute. With 3D-printed conformal cooling channels, the cycle can be reduced to under 30 seconds. For the same production capacity, the investment in molds and injection machines can be halved, and production turnaround time can be shortened. It is evident that conformal cooling creates tremendous benefits in the manufacturing of 3C products.

△Rongke Xuyang Waterway Design Case

The Bosch automotive ECU (engine control unit) housing, which features a cavity mold structure, had a traditional molding cycle time of 42 seconds. Through the conformal cooling solution analyzed by Mr. Zhu’s team, the cycle time was reduced to 28 seconds. When implemented, dedicated mold temperature controllers were installed on both the front and rear molds, ultimately compressing the molding cycle to within 22 seconds. This achievement resulted in a "win-win-win" situation: Bosch was satisfied due to the shortened cycle time and reduced costs; Rongke Xuyang’s direct client (Bosch’s injection molding supplier) gained more profits from improved efficiency; and Rongke Xuyang solidified its cooperation through technological strength — the project has now successfully entered mass production.

Shimano's high-end fishing gear in Singapore has seen thread deformation decrease from 0.3mm to 0.04mm. A high-end fishing gear from Shimano, priced over ten thousand yuan, had issues with thread roundness and uneven tightness due to injection molding thread deformation greater than 0.3mm. The Rongke team utilized a 3D conformal cooling channel solution to reduce the deformation to below 0.15mm. To achieve the ultimate result, the team combined mold experience to preset compensation structures. The final deformation was only 0.04mm, far exceeding customer expectations. As a result, the project leader was exceptionally promoted from engineer to manager and personally thanked General Manager Zhu.

Mr. Zhu said, "Many problems at the terminal can find effective solutions through mold design." According to Mr. Zhu's estimation, Tesla alone has 40 million printing tasks a year. With the empowerment of 3D printing technology, traditional molds can be redone and their mold forms reshaped.

Mr. Zhu also said, "Companies like Bosch, Amazon, and Apple, and in the future, perhaps some automakers such as NIO, Xiaomi, and Li Auto, are all key targets to enter, because these problems are highly concentrated on their side. As long as you solve the issue for one end client, you’ll be overwhelmed with demand."

In the future, with the upgrade of metal 3D printing equipment, there will be hundreds of times more growth potential. Mr. Zhu is also rapidly increasing strategic cooperation with Micron. "With the support of Micron's equipment, we won't have to worry about the future production capacity of Rongke Xuyang," Mr. Zhu said confidently.

Mold function implementation, reliable 3D printing equipment

Flexible and adaptable conformal water channels, seamless integration with printing, breathability, stable continuous mass production—bringing these functions to reality requires printing equipment with solid technical capabilities, expertise, and service. Mr. Zhu said, "There are very few companies in China that can meet my stringent requirements for molds—Micromake is one of them."

△Rongke Xuyang Factory, Micron 350 and 220 equipment in operation

Flexible and adaptable conformal water channel design. Micron forms the channels using the SLM (Selective Laser Melting) process, achieving remarkable flexibility—allowing any desired shape and adjustable cross-sections. The water channels can be arranged to completely conform to the product's contours, resulting in faster and more uniform cooling effects.

△Micron Conformal Cooling Channel Technology Diagram

Perfect integration of printing functions. 3D printing can handle complex structures, while traditional molds are more cost-effective. Integration printing allows these two to “work together.” Micron Rapid Manufacturing adjusts material formulas and optimizes fusion processes to ensure different materials adhere firmly, as if they are grown together. Additionally, a one-click integration feature has been developed—preset programs that, through parameter adjustments, enable automatic linking of mold base shape and size with just one click, achieving automated perfect integration.

△Rongke Xuyang Grafted Print Piece

3D-printed porous steel delivers a knockout blow to mold gas-trapping issues. Using a micro-pore structure, gases are quickly vented. If you want to control the pores on the porous steel, just adjust the laser power or tweak the scanning path, and you can precisely and uniformly control the size and distribution of the pores. More importantly, this method not only results in excellent air permeability, but also significantly improves the strength and hardness compared to before—the molds are less prone to deformation and wear, making them much more durable.

Micron Rapid Fabrication of Breathable Steel Process Introduction

Over 100 hours of continuous printing stability. Manager Zhu said that making a mold requires over 100 hours of work, which demands my equipment to operate stably over a long period. Micron has comprehensively upgraded everything for me, from cooling to the optical path to the precision of repeatable positioning.

Mr. Zhu emphasized: “Metal 3D printing is a high-tech industry with high technical barriers and profound expertise. It is impossible to build machines without 5 to 10 years of solid experience. At MicroJet, including the founders, several shareholders have technical backgrounds and have been deeply involved in the industry for at least 7 to 8 years, which is quite rare across the entire sector.”

Not using 3D printing is a very unprofitable thing.

"Metal 3D printing ultimately needs to achieve mass production," said General Manager Zhu. In terms of materials: five years ago, imported materials cost over 1,000 yuan per kilogram, and domestic ones were around 400-500 yuan. Now, they basically do not exceed 200 yuan, and the cost is no longer on the same scale as five years ago.

The cost-effectiveness of 3D printing has gradually surpassed traditional methods. President Zhu shared: Previously, I visited a friend in Guangdong who is engaged in traditional mold making, with an annual output value of about 100 million yuan. We did some calculations because he had purchased a five-axis machine. He asked whether it was better to use the five-axis machine for small batch parts or 3D printing. After calculating the costs based on current investments, it turns out that for certain parts, using the five-axis machine is no longer more cost-effective than printing a part with 3D printing.

In contrast, the price reduction potential of traditional molds is almost zero, and they may even become "more expensive over time." However, the potential of 3D printing is far from being fully realized—it can achieve more diverse functions, and as mass production advances, efficiency will continue to improve, costs will further decrease, and molds can be made more refined and distinctive.

In the future, it will be as common as CNC machines are now. Currently, there are 500,000 to 2 million CNC machines on the market, whereas there are only over 1,000 3D printers in use in the mold industry, with a market share of less than 10%. Nationwide, this represents a growth of 50 to 200 times.

Not using 3D printing is really a losing proposition. Mr. Zhu said that although he comes from a traditional mold-making background, he has now fully embraced 3D printing. Of course, there will still be some companies that insist on not using 3D printing. Likewise, when they face these disruptions in the future, they simply won’t have any competitiveness.

Speaking of price and competitiveness, he said: "Micron has really taken it to the extreme. They follow their own platform and technical route, focusing on 'ultra-high quality-to-price ratio.' In such a highly competitive environment, they are able to make equipment that is both excellent and affordable, making them highly competitive in any country."

Finally, President Zhu firmly stated, "Currently, the best 3D printing equipment in the world is all in China."

△Rongke Xuyang Printout

From Mr. Zhu’s technological breakthrough to a decade of leaps in the mold industry, we can clearly see that the so-called “industry predicament” is merely a limitation of “insufficient understanding.” Only by “solving problems with technology and embracing change through innovation” can we break through constraints and open up new prospects. In the next decade, let us meet at the pinnacle!