Printer Maker Takes Equity Stake in Design Agency, Closing the 3D-Printed Shoe Loop-3DPTimes

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Printer Maker Takes Equity Stake in Design Agency, Closing the 3D-Printed Shoe Loop

September 12, 2026 News 9491

They have also jointly built an R&D base in Guangzhou, equipped with dozens of 3D printers.

At Formnext Shenzhen 2026, Blue Core 3D and shoe design agency Zhongouhui announced an equity partnership: Blue Core 3D has invested in Zhongouhui and become a shareholder. The two companies have linked design, R&D, flexible customization, equipment and materials into a closed loop.

Wang Linke, general manager of Blue Core 3D, spent 12 years in 3D printing services before shifting to elastomer 3D printing equipment. The BCE-450 has a build volume of 450 × 253 × 520 mm. One build can produce 3–4 pairs of size 42–43 adult shoes in about four hours, for a daily capacity of 15–24 pairs. It is priced at RMB 218,000, or about USD 30,500 at USD 1 ≈ CNY 7.15. With sufficient orders, customers can recoup the investment in about six months. The BCE-580 can print seven pairs—14 shoes—in one build in about one hour. The company has received more than 150 orders for its equipment.

Guo Binwen, founder of Zhongouhui, said 3D-printed shoe design went from less than 1% of the business three years ago to 50% this year. Traditional sole development takes 5–6 months, with tooling costs of RMB 100,000–200,000, or about USD 14,000–28,000. With 3D printing, modeling, lattice generation and print validation can be completed in as little as one week or as long as 15 days. Inventory pressure is also lighter: in the past, no one would work with you unless a style had 1,000–2,000 pairs in stock. Now, an order placed today can ship in two days, enabling on-demand flexible production and even one-off customization.

In his view, 3D-printed shoes are a blue-ocean growth market. Globally, 60% of international footwear brands have already entered the space, and Chinese brands such as Cabbeen are also making moves. The wearables market is about USD 80–100 billion, and 3D-printed wearables are expected to keep rising over the next five years. Products are tested by third-party labs and can meet Chinese, European and U.S. standards. Wang Linke said manufacturers entering the footwear industry are not there to crush traditional players from above, but to offer new tools. Equipment makers investing in design agencies are helping 3D-printed shoes move toward supply-chain collaboration.