After 17 years in traditional footwear, Xiang Binbin has pivoted to photopolymer 3D-printed shoes.
As CEO of Douchuan 3D, Xiang laid out his hard-earned lessons at the 3D printing farm conference.
No FDM? He was blunt: the barrier to entry is low, there are too many Chinese giants in it, and he cannot beat them. FDM builds layer by layer, and the upper and sole still have to be bonded, which hurts flex resistance and toughness. Photopolymerization forms the part in one piece from liquid resin, needs no glue, and uses lattice/open-cell structures for a springy, breathable feel.
The economics matter even more. Traditional shoes leave the factory at RMB 20–50 (about USD 2.80–7.00), with razor-thin margins. Photopolymer 3D-printed shoes leave the factory at over RMB 300 (about USD 42+) and retail for RMB 800–1,200 (about USD 112–168). Traditional mold-making costs RMB 10,000–300,000 (about USD 1,400–42,000), with a minimum order of 3,000 pairs. With 3D printing, the data goes in and the finished product comes out—no molds, no inventory pileup.
He did not just sell machines. He first invested nearly RMB 20 million (about USD 2.8 million) in China and deployed more than 100 photopolymer machines, running a full loop of printing, cleaning, post-curing, quality inspection, and packaging. The hard part is post-processing: eight people can manage 100 machines at the front end, but sanding/grinding needs 30–40 people. Whoever solves automated sanding/grinding will win this wave.
On machine selection, he tested two-pair, four-pair, and seven-pair configurations, and concluded that a 450 mm four-pair DLP laser machine is the most cost-effective: it produces four pairs in two and a half hours, balancing efficiency, precision, and labor. Two-pair machines are too slow; with seven-pair machines, one error can ruin the whole batch.
Materials have also dropped in price: elastomer resin fell from RMB 400,000 per ton (about USD 55,900) to RMB 120,000 (about USD 16,800), and now even RMB 40,000–50,000 (about USD 5,600–7,000). Aging resistance, rebound, and elongation at break are now good enough for daily wear, and mainstream players dare to offer a 90-day warranty. The “Saluoding” brand on Douyin sells at RMB 800 (about USD 112), with good feedback.
He believes the end of this year is the entry window for photopolymer farm operators, and next year will explode. FDM is already red-hot; photopolymer shoes are a differentiated, high-margin new path. For this veteran, once this run is done, he really can retire.
