Wang Yuanyuan

    cheekywang@hotmail.com

    3D printing technology may not be a new thing in overseas countries, but many visitors to the ICIF were attracted by a 3D printer exhibited in Hall 1 at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center.

    The machine looks similar to an ordinary printer and can print a “statue” in about 90 minutes after scanning any object, including a person.

    “There is plaster powder in the machine. First, you scan an object with the printer’s lasers and then put the imported plaster powder inside the machine. Then, it starts printing,” said a staff member at the booth surnamed Wang.

    The machine prints layer by layer.

    “For example, if we want to print a 30-centimeter-tall Buddha statue, the computer will calculate the layers and print 463 layers in total,” Wang said.

    It can also print people and clothes.

    “You can stand for scanning for just about three minutes, and a statue of yourself will be finished in about two hours. The cost for a statue of a man is about 1,000 yuan (US$163),” Wang said.

    The printer, which costs about 500,000 yuan, was imported from the United States and installed in Hangzhou.

    “We want to introduce this technology to the domestic market and seek more cooperation through the platform of the ICIF,” Wang said. “There is a company in the United States that offers 3D printing services to people. Many people come to design their own creations, like Iron Man designs his armor. It is very cool. We hope that the printer can inspire creativity in more Chinese people.”