In the first quarter of 2026, China's foreign trade delivered impressive results, with the total value of goods trade imports and exports reaching 11.84 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15%, marking the highest quarterly growth rate in nearly five years.
In the first quarter of 2026, China's foreign trade delivered impressive results. The total value of merchandise trade imports and exports reached 11.84 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15 percent, marking the highest quarterly growth rate in nearly five years. Among the new drivers of export growth, 3D printers performed particularly strongly, with exports surging 119 percent year-on-year, leading the ranks of innovative product exports and serving as a typical example of Chinese manufacturing's upgrade toward high-end, intelligent, and globalized development. Multiple industry experts told the Shanghai Securities News that China's 3D printing exports are transitioning from consumer-grade proliferation to industrial-grade breakthroughs, and from hardware exports to ecosystem output. The industry is entering a phase of rapid development driven by both domestic and international synergies, pushing upstream and downstream enterprises onto a fast-growth track.
Domestic 3D Printing Equipment Exports Surge; AI Empowerment Drives Growth
Li Fangzheng, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Additive Manufacturing Industry Alliance, told the Shanghai Securities News that in the first quarter, China's 3D printing equipment exports presented a pattern of "non-metals as the mainstay, metals as the highlight." Non-metal 3D printing equipment continued to dominate export volumes, with consumer-grade and education-grade equipment markets continuing to expand. Metal 3D printing equipment, meanwhile, achieved breakthrough growth, highlighting the increasing international recognition of domestic equipment.
In the metal 3D printing field, leading enterprise BLT performed impressively in 2025: achieving full-year operating revenue of 1.863 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 40.54%; and net profit attributable to shareholders of 210 million yuan, a substantial 100.99% year-on-year increase. The company attributed its performance growth to continuous expansion into new application areas and increased efforts to develop the civilian market, with significant breakthroughs in revenue from customized 3D printing products in the civilian sector driving overall revenue growth.
The consumer-grade 3D printing track is experiencing an export boom. A representative from Bambu Lab revealed that in the first quarter of 2026, the company's exports of 3D printing equipment and consumables maintained rapid growth. Han Zongbo, Marketing Director at Creality, stated that in the first quarter, the company's high-speed multi-color flagship K2 series and the newly launched, intelligent, easy-to-use SPARKX i7 both demonstrated strong growth momentum.
Regarding the reasons for the products' popularity, Han Zongbo believes the core lies in improved ease of use of 3D printing equipment and deep integration of AI technology, which have broken down the high barriers of complex setup and modeling in the past, pushing 3D printing equipment from hardcore maker circles to mainstream households. Taking the SPARKX i7 as an example, it enables "out-of-the-box printing." Paired with Creality Cloud's AI modeling tools, users can directly generate printable 3D models from images, significantly lowering the creative barrier. "The experience upgrade brought by hardware-software integration precisely matches the intelligent needs of the global market, driving rapid growth in equipment exports," Han Zongbo said.
From Complete Machine Export to Ecosystem Empowerment; Emerging Models Accelerate Breakthroughs
Li Fangzheng stated that in the first quarter of 2026, China's 3D printing exports showed an integrated characteristic of "complete machines + accessories." As the global installed base of equipment expands, market demand for wear parts and specialized accessories is steadily releasing, and a complete overseas ecosystem of complete machine exports, accessory follow-ups, and service implementation is rapidly taking shape.
The performance of leading enterprises confirms this ecosystem layout. Take Farsoon Technologies as an example: the company achieved operating revenue of 715 million yuan in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 45.43%; and net profit attributable to shareholders of 69.0054 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.68%. The company stated that its performance growth was mainly due to increased revenue from 3D printing equipment and auxiliary accessories, as well as 3D printing powders and services.
China's 3D printing exports are rapidly upgrading from simple "hardware price-performance competition" to "full-link ecosystem output." "Overseas consumers are increasingly dependent on ecosystem synergy," observed Han Zongbo, who is deeply engaged in export. He noted that consumers are no longer just buying a production device, but a complete creative solution including 3D printers, 3D scanners, laser engravers, and cloud-based model libraries.
Beyond ecosystem upgrades, new business models are emerging in 3D printing exports, becoming new growth highlights. A representative from Bambu Lab observed that not only are exports of 3D printing complete machines and consumables doing well, but the export volume of finished 3D-printed products produced by domestic 3D printing farms is also rising. "This is an efficient and convenient emerging business model. If an overseas customer orders over 100,000 pieces, traditional mold opening and production might take several months, but with 1,000 3D printers working simultaneously, including modeling, delivery can typically be completed within 7 days," the Bambu Lab representative said. Data shows that the world's largest 3D printing farm has been established in Shenzhen and has purchased 15,000 Bambu Lab devices; the largest 3D printing farm in the United States has also purchased a large number of Bambu Lab devices, currently reaching a scale of 2,700 units, with plans to add another 500.
Industry Chain Expansion Accelerates; Leading Enterprises Speed Up Global Layout
The reporter learned that in February this year, Bambu Lab signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Shenzhen's Guangming District for a 3D printing intelligent manufacturing headquarters base project, which has now officially commenced production in the Minghu Zhigu Industrial Park. A Bambu Lab representative revealed that in the future, the company will build an industrial base integrating R&D and manufacturing synergies in the Guangming District, and explore the construction of an automated 3D printer production base, with an planned annual capacity exceeding 3 million units. This is expected to become one of the world's largest 3D printing manufacturing centers, solidifying the production capacity foundation for subsequent business expansion.
The rapid expansion of the consumer-grade 3D printing market is driving upstream and downstream industry chain enterprises to benefit simultaneously. Homelink Technology recently revealed in its investor relations activity records that the company has established cooperation with several 3D printing enterprises, and the 3D printing consumables it produces cover education, toys, figurines, medical, and other fields. As the consumer-grade market grows, the company's consumables sales are expected to increase correspondingly. In terms of production capacity layout, the first phase of Homelink Technology's 3D filament production line in Thailand has entered stable production, while the second phase is under construction and deployment, with overseas production capacity gradually being released.
In the industrial-grade field, leading enterprises are also accelerating their global layout. Farsoon Technologies stated that the company has formed core advantages in equipment size, iteration speed, production costs, and independent intellectual property rights. The company's 1500-square-meter European headquarters and innovation center opened in October 2025. The center is equipped with multiple industrial-grade metal and polymer 3D printing devices, which can help European customers with mass production and develop more 3D printing application scenarios, further improving printing efficiency and reducing comprehensive costs.
