From the "disruptor" of the manufacturing industry to the "leader" of 3D printing - the development of Dalian FASTFORM Technology Co., Ltd.

With the continuous development of information technology, 3D printing is no longer an unfamiliar term for many technology entrepreneurs. In fact, as early as the 80s of the last century, 3D printing technology has entered people's field of vision, since then this intelligent manufacturing technology, known as "Revolutionary" (innovator) has gradually been applied and developed in many industries, and has grown into a key industry that can meet industrial production and realize the transformation of the manufacturing industry.

Six years ago, the British "Economist" magazine regarded the rise of 3D printing technology as the "third industrial revolution", 3D printing technology was considered to have unlimited potential and continued to expand from the beginning, and then experienced a crisis and decline after the sudden popularity, and everything left behind the industry leader and the backbone of the force after the big waves.

Dalian FASTFORM Technology Co., Ltd. is one of the few 3D printing companies in China that has mastered both software development and hardware manufacturing technology. Through the visit and investigation of Dalian FASTFORM Technology Co., Ltd., an enterprise with both representative and discourse power, the author has a systematic understanding of the practical application and future market prospects of 3D printing technology.

What is 3D printing? 3D printing, or "additive manufacturing" as the industry prefers it, is actually the process of stacking a series of materials to form a three-dimensional object. As early as the eighties of the last century to today, 3D printing technology has gradually become accepted and pursued by the market. Some people describe 3D printing as "the ideas of the last century, the technology of the last century, and the market of this century".

At the end of the 19th century in the United States, the core idea of 3D printing technology has been produced, and by the 80s of the 20th century, 3D printing equipment has appeared and applied to related fields. For more than a decade, scientists and companies have been working to reduce the cost of 3D printing.

Today, 3D printing has long been widely recognized around the world and is widely used in aerospace, automotive manufacturing, biomedical, education, and construction related industries. Just as no one could have predicted that the printing press in 1450, the steam engine in 1750 and the transistor in 1950 would change human life, the rapid development of 3D printing is or has taken human production to a new level.

Due to the huge potential commercial value of 3D printing, many companies at home and abroad are interested in the field of 3D printing. However, with the survival of the fittest and mergers and acquisitions in the market, many of these companies have withdrawn due to technical failures or research funding constraints. Suddenly, this blue ocean market, which was once favored by investors, is also facing unprecedented doubts and crises.

In fact, 3D printing technology has never increased or diminished its value due to media rendering or investors' doubts. On the contrary, after the baptism of business, today's 3D industry is ushering in a more rational development.

On the other hand, the small equipment produced by the company is mainly used in the education and medical industries. In the medical industry, the company's equipment is mainly used to print organs, implants, dentistry, joints and other products, which very well meets the needs of precision and individualization in the medical field. And with a number of medical units joint research and development, so as to improve the performance and specialization of the product. In addition, the company's non-metallic materials related business can also provide wrist and other models for hospitals, so that the once two-dimensional CT film has become today's three-dimensional physical object, serving the medical industry to a greater extent.

In terms of bioprinting, the printing of breast cancer cells co-developed by FASTFORM is made into a drug sieve through culture and orderly arrangement, which can be used to screen and test drugs.

At the same time, the company also provides technical support and assistance to many small companies with technical needs, solves the technical problems of counterpart enterprises, and helps each other reduce R&D costs and risks.

As a fast-growing emerging industry, 3D printing still faces many ups and downs in its development. The slow research and development of new materials, the continuous investment of costs and the scarcity of technical talents have discouraged many entrepreneurs and investors. However, in this game between itself and the technology and the market, FASTFORM finally withstood the pressure and stood firm, and the like-minded "tech nerd" team finally achieved its own craftsmanship.

Li Shuai, CEO of Dalian FASTFORM Technology Co., Ltd., is still full of emotion when he recalls the process of starting a business. Speaking of his relationship with 3D printing technology, Li Shuai began his in-depth research on 3D printing technology, especially metal 3D printing, during his doctoral studies at Nanyang Polytechnic. Of course, on the road of science and technology entrepreneurship, technology is particularly the core, FASTFORM adheres to the spirit of craftsmanship, pays attention to its own basic technology from the beginning of its business, and becomes the only company in China that independently designs all structural parts, software and control systems.

In terms of software research and development, the path planning software developed by the company has been much better than the same type of software of foreign companies, and the efficiency is more than twice that of the same software. Among so many 3D printing companies in China, FASTFORM, as one of the few companies that has mastered the core control system, has applied its software to various industries, and also provides relevant independent research and development software for a domestic aviation science and industry group. At the same time, in terms of material research and development, FASTFORM continues to upgrade and expand the scope of materials, is committed to delving into new materials, and strives to promote the progress and innovation of the industry and industry.

It is such a team with technology as the core, sticking to its original intention and dream, craftsman feelings, ingenuity spirit, taking the development of technology as the core, and pursuing excellence in an all-round way to achieve the success of the team and the enterprise. Today's FASTFORM, after the completion of the angel round of financing, continues to develop and grow, and also adheres to R&D and innovation in technology and professionalism, and has achieved several times the growth of output value since its establishment. As the old saying goes, "Those who set up great things in ancient times not only have supernatural talents, but also have perseverance." As an outstanding entrepreneurial team of the younger generation, it is obvious that the remarkable achievements are inseparable from the determination and efforts of every craftsman.

As a pillar industry of national economic development, manufacturing has gradually undergone new changes with the intensification of competition in the global market. Increasing the intensity of scientific and technological innovation and promoting the transformation of the manufacturing industry to intelligence has become the mainstream direction of the development of the manufacturing industry.

In this process, 3D printing technology has become one of the key technologies to promote intelligent production. 3D printing technology is to carry out digital design according to customer needs in advance and control the 3D printer to generate a three-dimensional model of the product required by the customer through the principle of superimposing materials layer by layer, so as to integrate intelligence and production excellently. From the perspective of market demand, producers can manufacture specialized, customized and refined products according to different needs and are widely used in various fields, and 3D printing technology with many advantages is undoubtedly regarded as the future of manufacturing.

For many practitioners, the development and application of 3D printing technology has undoubtedly brought about a profound change in technology, products and the current market. For entrepreneurs, this is an era of opportunities and challenges, and in this business process, grasping 3D technology can help entrepreneurs create more opportunities in many fields.

In the rapidly changing market, Dalian FASTFORM Technology Co., Ltd. uses 3D printing technology to improve and innovate the relationship between production, supply and marketing. In many traditional industries, products need to go through a long process from design to sales, from the initial product design, to design certification, mold production, to production and finally to the market. The 3D printing technology can help designers and enterprises to realize the design, production and product optimization and improvement at the same time in the early stage of product design, that is to say, problems can be found and improved immediately at the same time as design. This reduces costs and helps products get to market faster.

Li Shuai said that the emergence of 3D printing technology has also greatly enhanced the competitiveness of enterprises. Due to the rapid prototyping printing technology, the time cycle is short, and timely feedback and updates can be realized, which greatly shortens the cycle from production to market. The company will focus more on the service to customers in the later stage. Departments and companies can use 3D models to test and improve, and 3D printing companies can optimize software and products in a timely manner to better meet customer requirements, which is what FASTFORM is pursuing. For example, in cooperation with machine tool manufacturers, the combination of 3D design printing and machine tool production can produce products faster and more accurately. On the other hand, the development of 3D printing means more material choices, and in different fields and applications, 3D printing can achieve the optimization and improvement of the materials used in products and put them into production faster.

It can be seen that 3D printing technology accelerates the product design cycle while helping enterprises realize product customization and accelerate product and technology innovation. This is undoubtedly a breakthrough in the business model and market, and the industrial application of 3D printing is bound to become a must for intelligent manufacturing.

epilogue

In today's rapid growth of science and technology, there is still a lot of room for people to explore in additive manufacturing. As far as China's 3D industry is concerned, the introduction and implementation of the "National Additive Manufacturing Development Promotion Plan (2014-2020)" has further clarified the development direction of the industry, and given more support in terms of policies to further expand the market size and application scope of 3D printing.

Li Shuai, the founder of FASTFORM, also has great expectations for the future market, and is also committed to further developing 3D printing technology to specialization, precision and personalization. Through the specific development example of Dalian FASTFORM Technology Co., Ltd., there is no doubt that some small and micro enterprises in the development of confusion and the core of the entrepreneurial team of the technology have a clearer direction and goals, under the guidance of the relevant policies of the national "mass entrepreneurship and innovation", I believe that the future of entrepreneurs will be brighter.