The explosive point of the hottest venture capital

Venture capitalists should be cautious about investing in 3D printing: the explosion point of the industry has not been clear yet

covers fields ranging from medical treatment to manufacturing, from cultural relics protection to scientific research. Recently, the tentacles of 3D printing have extended to the field of food. It is reported that NASA recently provided $125000 to an enterprise to support its six-month research and development plan for 3D food printers. Paul McKinley listed 3D printing as one of the driving forces to promote the transformation of the third industrial revolution in his article the third industrial revolution, which triggered the concept of 3D printing. Many people believe that the mature application of 3D printing is just around the corner

venture investors will not miss any investment opportunity. 3D printing technology can realize personalized production, accelerate product production speed and reduce costs, among which there are many investment opportunities. Deng Feng, founder of Polaris venture capital, told China business daily

however, the interview found that although there are many investment opportunities in the field of 3D printing, venture capitalists are now watching carefully, and the outbreak point of this industry has not been clear

venture capitalists aim at 3D printing

at present, venture capitalists are in close contact with some 3D printing concept enterprises, and their focus is to realize terminal applications through 3D printing. David Reis, CEO of STRATASYS in the United States, told that their users have the most dental applications

Deng Feng also said that at present, in the medical field, artificial femoral head, teeth and other fields, the application mode of 3D printing technology is the clearest

in addition to the medical field, the toy market, gift market, exhibition market and 3D image market are also favored by venture capitalists

on Taobao, there are many 3D printers selling for less than 10000 yuan. On the whole, many people believe that the time for 3D printers to enter the home is just around the corner. At the first maker forum, wangshenglin, founder of Beijing maker space, told that most of these 3D printers are open-source hardware products composed of fixtures, CCD cameras and computers, grooving machines and milling machines. The quality is not hard. Maybe after 2-3 months of use, this printer will break down. However, this will not affect the sales volume of this kind of 3D printer. Many makers buy such a printer, constantly improve and improve this printer through open source software, and then print various gadgets or inventions through the transformed printer to realize the commercial value of the final product

I think 3D printing will have a large space in the personal gift market in the future. Deng Feng gave an example: when digital cameras replace film, the scope of photo graphene in China will continue to expand in the future, and there is still a certain market demand for printing business. 3D photos of face or body produced by 3D printer will be loved by many young people

for another example, tens of thousands of large and small exhibitions are held at home and abroad every year, and the exhibition boards and shelves at the exhibition are currently dominated by 2D posters. The emergence of 3D printing will brighten the eyes of many people. There are many investment opportunities in these application fields

several problems restrict development

data show that in 2012, the global sales of 3D printers in the whole industry was less than 50000, of which 20000 were sold by STRATASYS in the United States, and nearly 5000 were developed by Taier times, a local 3D printing enterprise in China

obviously, 3D printing is still a niche field at present, but its reputation is not small. The main reason why the market has not exploded is still limited by materials. Now is not the time to fight what you want. Although everyone is talking about small batch production through 3D printing, the cost advantage will be obvious, but this is on the premise of large-scale application. Now, the time and cost of purchasing equipment, materials and printing products are not economical. The above investment circles said

3d printing at present, the most important thing is the material problem. The limited optional materials and the physical properties need to be improved, which restrict the application of 3D printing in the field of high-precision and cutting-edge industry. However, in dental applications, 3D printing products can basically meet the requirements of materials, accuracy, convenience and ease of use, and are the most widely used. David said

Xiang, the person in charge of the above investment circle, said that although there is a strong market space for evaluating the carrying capacity of lubricants, there are also many risks: in the field of toys, 3D printing can meet great personalized needs, but as far as the materials currently used are concerned, whether they meet the safety standards and whether they are harmful to the health of infants and young children remains to be studied; How long is the life cycle of 3D printing in the gift and exhibition market, how long can it maintain the freshness of users, and whether it is sustainable? 3D printing can easily copy some products with complex surfaces. Will there be legal risk of infringement

at present, 3D printing technology, whether at home or abroad, has not reached the stage of bringing fundamental changes to the industry and triggering a technological revolution. Everyone is trying, and the market share is not as large as it seems. A person in the investment circle who is paying attention to the 3D printing field said that we are making a comprehensive assessment of the opportunities and risks of the domestic 3D printing market, and have not yet made investment