Anycubic has carved a distinct segment for itself in a fiercely aggressive desktop 3D printing market. Throughout my latest go to to Formnext South China I sat down with James Ouyang, the Vice President of Anycubic, in Shenzen to delve into the corporate’s journey, ethos, and imaginative and prescient for the long run.
“To be trustworthy, I’m not a maker. I joined Anycubic in 2016 as a result of the CEO, Brian [Ouyang], was my childhood buddy,” was the candid response to my preliminary query about how the VP obtained into the 3D printing trade.
Ouyang painted a vivid image of Brian’s preliminary foray into buying and selling electronics and the way a discernible development out there demand for 3D printing and its equipment led to a pivot in enterprise technique. “Brian began considering, ‘Hey, I could make this 3D printer they promote’,” Ouyang shared.
Ouyang’s personal journey is equally intriguing. A graduate of the College of Auckland in New Zealand, he specialised in Supplies Engineering, a discipline intently associated to 3D printing. “I nonetheless keep in mind the day. I used to be educating at a college in Chendol, a phenomenal metropolis within the southwest a part of China.”
Ouyang’s particular function at Anycubic is to handle the R&D division. “Most of my curiosity is in R&D and merchandise.” He additionally highlighted his involvement in decision-making processes associated to monetary issues, given his place on the board.
Anycubic’s speedy development is plain. From its humble beginnings to now boasting a workforce of “700 plus” staff, the corporate’s trajectory is spectacular. Curious concerning the secret sauce behind Anycubic’s success, Ouyang attributed it to a few distinct phases. Firstly, e-commerce and logistics experience. “On the very starting, we knew all about e-commerce. Brian was a specialist in worldwide logistics,” Ouyang famous. This basis allowed Anycubic to ship merchandise effectively and on time. Second, a strong provide chain. Capitalizing on the availability chain round Shenzhen, Anycubic may supply elements sooner and at aggressive costs. “We constructed up our personal provide chain,” Ouyang emphasised. And third, funding in R&D. “Because the enterprise grew, we began to rent extra R&D individuals,” Ouyang shared. This concentrate on analysis and improvement enabled Anycubic to remain abreast of the most recent applied sciences and even introduce new ones to the consumer-grade 3D printing sector.
Ouyang’s ardour for innovation shone by means of as he recounted Anycubic’s product evolution, from their preliminary Kossel delta 3D printer in 2015 to the next i3 Mega in 2016 and Photon sequence of resin techniques launched in 2017. “We wished to carry nice particulars and exquisite prints to the customers,” he mentioned, highlighting their enterprise into resin printers and, briefly, desktop steel printing.
With practically 30% of their workforce devoted to R&D, Anycubic’s dedication to analysis might shock some.
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Anycubic’s subsequent part
Within the bustling tech hub of Shenzhen, the place the typical lifespan of a startup is lower than three years, Anycubic stands out as a beacon of resilience and innovation as the corporate is at the moment celebrating its eighth anniversary. “The one approach is to place extra assets within the R&D,” Ouyang emphasised, drawing a parallel between the corporate’s technique and the famend Chinese language liquor, Maotai, or Apple merchandise. The essence? High quality merchandise don’t want aggressive gross sales ways. They promote themselves.
On the subject of enterprise longevity, particularly in a metropolis like Shenzhen, Ouyang’s perspective was enlightening. Shenzhen’s openness, particularly from a governmental standpoint, has been pivotal. Town doesn’t stifle companies with extreme management, permitting them to flourish. Coupled with a younger, proficient workforce and a mature provide chain, Shenzhen affords a novel ecosystem for companies to check and validate their concepts swiftly.
Ouyang highlighted a pivotal transition for Anycubic: “We’re type of within the transition from market-driven to product or technology-driven,” he remarked, emphasizing the speedy tempo at which the 3D printing market is evolving. This shift underscores Anycubic’s method to staying forward of the curve, making certain they continue to be not simply related but additionally progressive in a saturated market.
When requested concerning the firm’s imaginative and prescient amidst this transition, Ouyang was clear: “We’ve to maintain up with all the brand new applied sciences.” He acknowledged the rising competitors, citing new entrants like former DJI staff who based Bambulabs and Anker. “For us, we should sustain with the brand new traits, like excessive velocity, good print end, and user-friendliness,” Ouyang elaborated. He hinted at potential ventures into coloration printing, emphasizing the significance of out-of-the-box performance for contemporary customers.
When quizzed concerning the firm’s product differentiation, Ouyang’s reply was simple, “It’s straightforward to assume that you are able to do something… but it surely’s extra invaluable once you select not to try this factor.” For Anycubic, the mantra has been about focus. Whereas they’ve dabbled in dental printers and even 3D printing steel, the core of their enterprise stays consumer-grade 3D printing.
On potential growth into the economic sector. Ouyang was candid: “We’ve thought of that, however for now, we is not going to.” He emphasised Anycubic’s dedication to the consumer-grade 3D printing space, citing the huge variations in necessities and gross sales dynamics between client and industrial sectors.
Diving deeper into Anycubic’s consumer base, Ouyang revealed that the majority of its customers search detailed prints, akin to jewellery or desktop fashions. “Our main consumer base is within the client resin 3D printing,” he famous, indicating a 60-40 cut up in favor of resin over FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) of their product gross sales.
On the subject of income, Ouyang shared a ballpark determine of over 1 billion RMB, translating to greater than half one million unit gross sales. This spectacular quantity hints at Anycubic’s important market share within the 3D printing sector. On the geographical distribution of their enterprise, Ouyang revealed that “greater than 90% of our enterprise is abroad.”
Discussing the worldwide 3D printing consumer base, Ouyang estimated it to be over 3 million individuals worldwide, based mostly on a Fb survey. He emphasised the altering dynamics of the market, the place earlier fans cherished constructing issues, however trendy customers desire ready-to-use merchandise. “They need it to work,” Ouyang succinctly put it. Apparently, whereas the worldwide maker tradition thrives, Ouyang identified that China’s maker tradition is distinct. The comfort of procuring elements from platforms like Alibaba and Taobao implies that many in China are extra inclined in direction of 3D printing companies slightly than proudly owning printers. This perception, Ouyang believes, may form the long run path of the 3D printing trade in China.
As for Anycubic’s future, Ouyang envisions a stronger concentrate on R&D and a dedication to offering native help to its customers. He sees a future the place the hassles of resin printing, such because the scent and post-processing, are issues of the previous. However for now, the corporate stays grounded, valuing the teachings of the previous eight years and searching forward with cautious optimism.
Charting the Way forward for 3D Printing in China
Within the coronary heart of Shenzhen, a metropolis famend for its technological prowess, the 3D printing trade is present process a metamorphosis. James Ouyang, Vice President of Anycubic, delves into the nuances of working on this dynamic atmosphere and the corporate’s imaginative and prescient for the long run.
“We don’t have particular help from the federal government by way of giving assets to the 3D printing trade,” Ouyang started, addressing the function of the Chinese language authorities within the sector. Nonetheless, he highlighted the supportive insurance policies in place, akin to tax breaks for R&D and incentives for manufacturing. These insurance policies, whereas not unique to 3D printing, have undoubtedly facilitated the expansion of corporations like Anycubic.
Training, Ouyang believes, is one other space the place the federal government is enjoying a pivotal function. The STEAM training program, which integrates science, expertise, engineering, arts, and arithmetic, encourages college students to delve into new applied sciences, together with 3D printing. Faculties are incentivized to include this expertise into their curriculum, emphasizing its significance within the trendy tech panorama.
However what actually units Anycubic aside on this aggressive market? Ouyang was keen to debate the corporate’s newest choices. The Anycubic Kobra 2 Professional, as an illustration, boasts a most velocity of 500 mm/s, a major leap from its predecessors. This 3D printer, Ouyang claims, can produce a typical Benchy print in simply quarter-hour and 43 seconds. Such developments usually are not nearly velocity; they’re about effectivity and precision, making certain that high quality will not be compromised.
Ouyang additionally touched upon the challenges of resin printing, notably the post-processing steps that many discover cumbersome. The corporate’s Wash & Treatment Max goals to deal with these points, providing a extra streamlined and user-friendly expertise.
In a quickly evolving tech panorama, corporations like Anycubic usually are not simply preserving tempo; they’re setting the tempo. With a concentrate on innovation, consumer expertise, and training, the way forward for 3D printing in China seems to be promising certainly.
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Featured picture reveals James Ouyang Vice President of Anycubic. Picture by Michael Petch.
