As deliveries scale up to the hundred‑unit level, metal 3D printing is truly moving from “auxiliary prototyping” into the mainstream process of batch shoe mold production, becoming a key technological enabler for the transformation and upgrading of the footwear industry.
On April 19, 2026, the 27th China (Jinjiang) International Footwear and Sports Industry Expo opened at the Jinjiang International Convention and Exhibition Center in Jinjiang, Fujian Province – the "Shoe Capital of China." As a rising force in metal 3D printing that has grown rapidly in the Jinjiang and southeast coastal markets over the past year, Chuangrui Laser was invited to exhibit its core flagship equipment – the CR-M460, a six-laser metal mold 3D printing machine custom-designed for shoe mold applications, along with its automated production line.
CR-M460: Six-Laser Machine Deeply Customized for Shoe Molds
The CR-M460 is an industrial-grade six-laser additive manufacturing machine deeply customized for the shoe mold industry. It comes standard with six lasers (eight-laser optional), with a build volume of 460×430×150 mm, capable of accurately reproducing fine textures as small as 0.01 mm. After hundreds of technical iterations, the CR-M460 has passed order validation from leading industry players, more than one year of production process validation, validation through hundreds of units shipped, and long-term stability tests on tens of thousands of finished parts. Its reliability is widely recognized in the market.
The machine features an intelligent process chain, an intelligent powder recirculation system, an intelligent post-processing production line system, and an industrial IoT monitoring platform, enabling a complete workflow from design verification to mass production. It is also equipped with ring spot laser technology and one‑click positioning, supporting automatic “jobbing” (print‑on‑demand) for hybrid subtractive‑additive manufacturing, offering a flexible and efficient solution. These capabilities significantly shorten mold production cycles and reduce the cost of customized production, helping partners seize early advantages in the industry with better cost, efficiency, and quality.
Jinjiang Market: Over 1 Billion Pairs of Shoes Annually, CR‑M460 Deliveries Expected to Exceed 200 Units This Year
Jinjiang is a global manufacturing hub and brand powerhouse for sports goods, producing over 1 billion pairs of sports shoes annually – one out of every five sports shoes worldwide comes from this region. The local footwear and apparel textile industry has an annual output value exceeding 400 billion RMB (approximately 55.2 billion USD). Behind this massive industrial output lies a rigid demand for high efficiency, excellent quality, and low cost in shoe mold manufacturing. The CR-M460, with its outstanding build efficiency and stable product quality, has become a best‑selling model in the metal 3D printed shoe mold market, with large‑batch deliveries being made simultaneously to domestic and overseas customers. This year, total deliveries are expected to exceed 200 units, covering core footwear production regions in southeast and south China as well as emerging manufacturing markets in Southeast Asia.
Future Outlook: Building a “China Solution” for Global Metal Additive Manufacturing
Looking ahead, Chuangrui Laser will use the CR-M460 as a strategic cornerstone, continue to increase R&D investment, and deepen its twin‑track domestic and international strategy. With Fujian as a bridgehead, the company aims to accelerate the development of an industrial additive manufacturing application system that covers the whole of China and extends to countries along the Maritime Silk Road, committed to delivering a “China Solution” for the global metal additive manufacturing field. At the Jinjiang expo – a top‑tier platform connecting the global footwear industry chain – Chuangrui Laser looks forward to working with more industry partners to drive “smart manufacturing” upgrades through technological innovation, helping the “Shoe Capital of China” transition from traditional manufacturing to intelligent manufacturing, and from scale to value.
