May 24, 2016 | By Benedict
SHINING 3D, a Chinese 3D printer manufacturer and 3D printing service provider, is holding an opening ceremony for its new headquarters in the Zhejiang 3D Industrial Zone in Hangzhou, China. The 25,000-square-meter premises are set to become China’s “largest 3D printing innovation center”.
Tomorrow, May 25, SHINING 3D will open the doors to its brand new company headquarters for a grand opening ceremony, with around 500 industry experts and insiders expected to attend. The ceremony will offer outsiders their first glimpse of the new facility, which had been under development since the opening of the Zhejiang 3D Industrial Zone in 2014.
SHINING 3D is fast become a recognizable name in the international 3D printing and 3D scanning industry, with its EinScan 3D scanning equipment already being distributed in the U.S. and other overseas markets. The company’s new 25,000-square-meter HQ will help to quicken that expansion, providing space for its growing R&D, manufacturing, service, sales, education, and customer service operations.
The large size of SHINING 3D’s new headquarters reflects the company’s similarly expansive “3D Printing Ecosystem”, a five-pronged business model which includes two online platforms, 3D scanning and printing hardware, 3D printing materials, 3D content, and 3D printing services. For those unfamiliar with the company and its diverse range of 3D projects, here’s a quick breakdown of what it does in each of these areas:
Online platforms
SHINING 3D operates two cloud-based 3D printing platforms: a Thingiverse-style 3D model database called 3Dker, and a 3D printing service platform called 3Dzao. Each of these services is available to international customers, with the latter making use of SHINING 3D’s 3D printing equipment to provide customers with an alternative to 3D printing bureaus like Shapeways, Sculpteo, and i.materialise. SHINING 3D describes its two-headed online strategy as “Internet+”.
3D scanning and 3D printing equipment
The company manufactures a range of 3D scanners, both fixed and handheld, as well as scanning equipment designed specifically for dental applications. It also offers a range of 3D printers, including metal, sand, glass, and bio printers. SHINING 3D currently employs around 230 R&D personnel whose primary goal is to improve and develop 3D scanning and printing hardware.
3D printing materials
SHINING 3D offers both PLA filaments for FDM 3D printing and liquid resins for SLA 3D printing. Customers can buy these materials from the company as ready-to-use filament or choose to print 3D objects in either material via the 3Dzao printing service.
3D content
In addition to building a 3D printing community on its 3Dker 3D model platform, SHINING 3D also offers other 3D-related online content such as courses and training, even running the occasional 3D printing competition.
3D printing services
SHINING 3D works with a range of clients to solve various 3D issues in areas such as medicine and industry. For many projects, clients prefer to work in collaboration with SHINING 3D instead of simply purchasing equipment and materials, allowing the 3D printing company to develop a tailor-made solution.
The number of SHINING 3D printing centers in China recently reached double figures, and plans to build between 50 and 100 more in the next three to five years. The company believes that these walk-in centers, combined with and an extensive range of online services, gives sufficient options to a broad range of customers from the automotive, aerospace, mechanical, appliances, smart intelligence, mold, and medical industries.
Whether SHINING 3D’s diverse business model helps to propel it to the top of the Chinese 3D printing industry remains to be seen, but some experts believe that the disconnected elements of 3D printing—hardware, software, materials, and services—could prove most lucrative when unified: “In the terms of global 3D printing industry, the scattered structure hasn’t yet changed yet,” said Luo Jun, secretary general of China’s 3D Printing Technology Industry Alliance. “So who will become the real 3D printing giant in the future? It’s up for grabs.”
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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Why does such a large forward thinking company only print in PLA? What kinds of resins to they print with?
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