Forward AM and Xuberance Announce Additive Manufacturing Technical Center in China

Interest in additive manufacturing, specifically in the Asia-Pacific region, continues! Forward AM is joining companies like EOS and Arburg, and has opened a new Additive Manufacturing Technical Center (AMTC) in Shanghai, China. The new center is a collaboration between Forward AM and Chinese 3D printing design and service company, Xuberance. It has been designed to be a hub of expertise for solutions and materials for the AM market in China and in Asia. The move comes amid rapid growth in the area over the past few years, as China quickly becomes one of the countries with the biggest AM market in the world.

Though not yet as developed as in the United States, the additive manufacturing (AM) market in China specifically has been booming in recent years. Already in 2019, China was considering a promising market for 3D printing, with some considering that China would be the fast-growing country in the 3D printing market in the coming years. This seems likely, as according to an authorized Chinese government portal, in November 2020 China’s major AM manufacturers reported a total operating revenue of about $1.14 billion USD (7.5 billion yuan). This was a significant increase from the previous year, about 10.3%, an impressive number considering the pandemic. Another report noted that there was a 68% increase worldwide in the shipment of desktop 3D printers out of China during the same time period.

Opening the AMTC in Shanghai (image credits: Forward AM)

Furthermore, from this year’s 3D Printing Sentiment Index, from Ultimaker, suggested that a large driver of adoption in the country was the pandemic, as supply chain breakdowns prompted interest in local manufacturing solutions. That report notes that 3D printing is well known in the country with 84% of respondents at least aware of AM. Additionally, it was ranked fifth, behind the US, UK, Germany and France, in terms of use of 3D printing, making it one of the top 10 countries globally that was successfully adopting AM technologies. Though this is perhaps not surprising if you consider the vast number of AM manufacturers in the country, such as IEMAI and Creality, it is understandable why so many international manufacturers are hoping to move and expand into the nation.