Liu Minxia

    mllmx@msn.com

    TOYS, ornaments, and medical devices are only a few of the items 3D printers showcased at a small-scale exhibition on the sideline of a world tour of a 3D printing conference that closed its first leg yesterday in Hong Kong.

    Global leaders of the 3D industry brought their 3D printers, materials and products to Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo, where the world’s top experts in the 3D sector shared their insights and expectations during the two-day conference.

    “Everything will change when you can make anything,” John Hornick, a partner at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, told the audience Tuesday.

    The wider use of 3D printing will lead to an explosive market, which is expected to exceed US$500 billion in the following years and reach US$1 trillion by 2020, Terry Wohlers, founder and president of Wohlers Associates Inc., told the audience.

    3D printers are becoming more affordable for families, he said. As technology advances, many manufacturers can offer 3D printers for as little as US$300, and some even sell 3D printers for US$149 each, according to Wohlers.

    It may be two or three years later than in the United States and Europe for Chinese families to start buying 3D printers, but it will redefine many sectors, including consumer electronics manufacturing, LED production, molding, creative industry and education, Yang Yihu, president and CEO of Shenzhen Esun Industrial Co., told reporters on the sideline of the conference.

    “Business and medical applications of 3D printing is mainstream right now. As 3D printing evolves rapidly, consumers will adopt it in the near future,” Yang said.

    Esun, a global leader in 3D printing materials, is the only Chinese mainland firm attending all the 10 legs of the conference’s world tour, and Yang was the only speaker from the mainland at the conference.

    The price of printing materials, mainly plastics, was around 1,000 yuan (US$163.13) per kilogram in 2006 and is about 150 yuan per kilogram today, according to Yang.

    Esun sells 80 percent of its products to the United States and Europe right now, but the demand from China is growing, according to Yang.

    Shenzhen’s unique business and technology environment is advantageous for producing and developing 3D technology, which allows electronics producers to churn out new models cheaper and faster, he said.

    The 3D printing industry in Shenzhen is also helpful for the city’s creative cultural industry since 3D-printed products can help materialize new innovations quickly, he said.

    However, Shenzhen is not the leader when it comes to manufacturing 3D printers in China, Yang said. He warned that government assistance is needed to help sustain and develop the sector in Shenzhen.

    Research firm Gartner predicted earlier this month that consumer 3D printing is around five to 10 years away from mainstream adoption. Now, approximately 40 manufacturers sell the 3D printers most commonly used by businesses, and more than 200 startups worldwide are developing and selling consumer-oriented 3D printers, Gartner said.