From a rented apartment in Shenzhen has emerged a 3D printing enterprise now achieving annual sales in the billions.

In his early days running a cross-border e-commerce business in Shenzhen, Ouyang Lu keenly sensed the robust overseas demand for 3D printing equipment. This insight led him to team up with two childhood friends, Ouyang Xin and Feng Ke, to start their own venture. They began by renting three rooms near the Danzhutou subway station in Shenzhen. In the initial phase, their monthly shipment volume was less than 200 units. However, leveraging Shenzhen's formidable supply chain advantages, they slashed the price of comparable machines from the $2,000-$3,000 range typical of foreign brands to under $500. This aggressive pricing strategy allowed them to break into the desktop 3D printing market, which was then dominated by overseas hobbyists and enthusiasts.

A significant breakthrough occurred between 2018 and 2019. Their FDM model, the i3 Mega, and their resin-based Photon model gained widespread popularity. Shipments escalated from individual parcels to full container loads, propelling annual revenue past the 1 billion yuan mark. Their products are now sold in over 200 countries and regions worldwide.

Amid this rapid expansion, the team gained a clear understanding of the industry's dynamics. They recognized that the hardware profit margins for 3D printers are limited. The real potential for recurring, high-frequency revenue lies in consumables. The key to profitability is enabling continuous printing by users and enhancing the machine's usage stickiness.

In 2022, a competitor launched the X1 model, which offered an "out-of-the-box" printing experience. This model integrated the entire chain from 3D models and printing parameters to materials, significantly raising the market's standards. In response, the three founders did not cling to their existing strength in resin printing. Instead, they decisively pursued a dual-track strategy, advancing both FDM and resin-based technologies simultaneously. They also attracted top creators by offering incentives for model uploads, revenue sharing from prints, and crowdfunding models. Approximately 80% of their users find existing models online and initiate "one-click printing" based on others' designs, a strategy that helps them navigate market shifts.

Ouyang Xin noted that the penetration rate of 3D printing still lags far behind that of household cleaning robots. However, with the maturation of AI-assisted model generation and full-chain automation, the potential of this sector could surpass that of the drone industry and even become as commonplace as 2D printers in copy shops. Chinese manufacturers currently command about 90% of the global consumer-grade 3D printing market. Ouyang Xin firmly believes that the long-term advantages in this race belong to Chinese companies, thanks to Shenzhen's complete supply chain, integrated hardware-software R&D capabilities, and the advantage of rapid, localized iteration.

Taking the toy industry as an example, he predicts that 3D printing has the potential to capture 10% to 20%, or even more, of the market share. Consumers would no longer need to buy mass-produced toys; instead, a home printer paired with online models allows for DIY personalized creations. Currently, a significant number of families are already using these printers as creative toys for their children.