On October 14, 2025, Xinhua News Agency published a significant article titled "Upholding the Party's Comprehensive Leadership to Provide Fundamental Assurance for Achieving High-Quality Development—A Review of Practices and Insights from Economic and Social Development During the '14th Five-Year Plan' Period (Part One)." The article explicitly highlighted that "core technologies such as high-performance equipment and additive manufacturing have continued to achieve breakthroughs," injecting a strong impetus into the development of China's strategic emerging industries. As one of the key technologies specifically mentioned, additive manufacturing (commonly known as 3D printing) is transforming from a cutting-edge technology into a core engine driving Chinese manufacturing toward high-end advancement.
This "breakthrough" did not happen overnight, but is reflected in comprehensive progress from R&D to industrial application:
I. Breakthrough in Technological Depth: From "Feasible" to "Excellent"
China's additive manufacturing technology has achieved a leap from following to running alongside, and even leading in some sectors.
Strong Advances in Metals: The performance of large-format, multi-laser metal 3D printing equipment continues to improve. In aerospace, it enables the integrated forming of large, complex components, significantly reducing structural weight and enhancing performance. According to observations from Nanjixiong, domestic metal printers now possess the stability, efficiency, and cost control to compete internationally.
Emergence of New Materials: The localization of specialized materials like high-performance composites, ceramics, and biomedical materials is accelerating, breaking long-term foreign monopolies and laying a solid foundation for downstream applications.
Proliferation of Technical Approaches: Beyond mature SLA and SLM technologies, new methods like CLIP and HSS are also taking root in China, showing great application potential.
II. Breakthrough in Application Scenarios: From "Showroom" to "Mainstream"
The value of additive manufacturing is ultimately reflected in solving real-world problems in key sectors of the national economy. The "high-performance equipment" emphasized in the Xinhua review is precisely where 3D printing shines.
Aerospace: For critical engine components and lightweight satellite structures, 3D printing achieves design freedom and manufacturing efficiency unattainable by traditional methods.
Healthcare: From custom-made orthopedic implants and surgical guides to bioactive tissue engineering scaffolds, 3D printing is reshaping the future of personalized medicine. Cases reported by Nanjixiong where 3D printing saved lives demonstrate the technology's human impact.
New Energy Vehicles & Precision Molds: Conformal cooling channel molds greatly improve production efficiency; lightweight components and customized battery structures for NEVs are becoming new frontiers for 3D printing.
III. Breakthrough in Industrial Ecosystem: From "Isolated Points" to "Integrated System"
The additive manufacturing ecosystem is becoming increasingly robust.
Deep Industry-Academia-Research-Application Integration: Basic innovation from universities and research institutes is rapidly translated into competitive products via industry alliances and incubators.
Gradual Establishment of Standards: The development and refinement of industry standards remove barriers to quality control and large-scale application.
Formation of Full-Chain Capability: China has built a relatively complete AM industrial chain encompassing materials, equipment, software, printing services, and application solutions, significantly enhancing risk resilience and collaborative innovation.
Being highlighted in the Xinhua review affirms the industry's past achievements and conveys high expectations for the future. Standing at this new historical starting point, Nanjixiong believes the industry must focus on:
Tackling Key Bottlenecks: Concentrated efforts are still needed in some core components (e.g., lasers, precision optical systems) and industrial software to achieve full autonomy.
Promoting Large-Scale Adoption: Reducing costs and improving efficiency to make 3D printing a standard, affordable, and essential manufacturing tool.
Deepening Integrated Development: Merging with AI, big data, and the Industrial Internet to create an intelligent "AM brain" and lead new paradigms in smart manufacturing.
Conclusion
As part of the nation's critical technological arsenal, the continuous breakthroughs in additive manufacturing vividly illustrate this strength. Nanjixiong firmly believes that with the deepening of high-quality development, additive manufacturing will undoubtedly play an increasingly critical role in China's grand journey from a "manufacturing giant" to a "manufacturing powerhouse," printing a brighter new future for Chinese intelligent manufacturing.
