Yang Yusheng: Gree Department of Entrepreneur's 5 Years of 3D Printing Road
In December 2015, the first domestically developed point-scan 3D printing software operating system, RiverOS 1.0, was released in Beijing by Zhuhai Xitong Electronics (CTC, hereinafter referred to as Xitong).
In October, in the Formaker All-in-One four-in-one 3D printer crowdfunding that ended Kickstarter, Xitong raised a total of 82,000 pounds (about 785,000 yuan) and received 135 support.
In August, Xitong launched the first desktop-level SLA (Stereo-Lithography, commonly known as stereoscopic curing technology) 3D printer; its core patented product "Mercury", for the first time using zero-fault interrupt technology, the official claims that its performance far exceeds Makerbot, printing The failure rate is controlled at 5%.
Looking back on 2015, in the “first†creations in the domestic 3D printing field, Xitong’s figure appeared frequently, but it was rarely exposed before the media. Can't help but wonder how the entrepreneurial process has gone through this low-key southern hardware company. What kind of technology accumulation?
Recently, Zhizhi came to Xitong Electronics Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, to have a dialogue with its founder and CEO Yang Yusheng.
The highlights of this issue include:
1. The challenges and gains that Xitong experienced during the five-year 3D printing R&D and industrial transformation;
2. At this stage, the status quo and trend of the development of 3D printing industry at home and abroad;
3. Analysis of technical thresholds and development constraints in the field of 3D printing.
Character: Businessman without mobile phone completes the progress from 2D to 3D
After arriving at Zhuhai Jiuzhou Port from Shenzhen Ferry, after transferring to the bus twice, Zhizhi came to Zhuhai Xitong Electronics Co., Ltd., which is located on the 5th floor of a factory building in Cuizhu Industrial Zone. The "Xitong Toner Cartridge" hanging outside the factory building - four old labels, reveals the company's relationship with the printing industry.
The interview was conducted in Yang Yusheng's office. During the two-hour exchange, the conversation was interrupted four times by the work report of his subordinates. Before the interview, Yang Yusheng was meeting with the relevant foundry of an industrial-grade 3D printer, and this compact The rhythm of office work is also the daily microcosm of entrepreneurs in the South, which is different from the entrepreneurial atmosphere in the North, which is more frequent in attracting investment and socializing.
According to Yang Yusheng, after graduating from the 1990s, he entered the Gree work in Zhuhai. On the way to work and training in the United States, Yang Yusheng first came into contact with 3D printing technology. After resigning in 2001, he conducted an Internet entrepreneurial attempt to provide Chinese herbal medicine. Search platform-based website service; in 2004, returned to the industry, founded Zhuhai Xitong, research and development and production of printing consumables, such as ink cartridges, toner cartridges, toner.
Although the traditional 2D printing industry has turned to the 3D printing market, it has not been started from scratch. However, in the case of Yang Yusheng, from the introduction of 3D printing technology to the maturity of the market, the process and the leap are enough to call it a complete venture. In the absence of formal contact with this kind of 70-year-old entrepreneur, the habit of not having a personal contact number or using a mobile phone made the reporter suspicious and confused.
In the interview, Yang Yusheng also talked about his own considerations:
He explained that I don't want my time to be fragmented. Many times, leaving your mobile phone nearby will always be disturbed intentionally or unintentionally. In the face of receiving information, it must be reasonable to respond. Simply, the mobile phone is more comfortable, and it can still be through colleagues or relatives. Find me.
He jokingly added that this is to leave time to himself, to push the trouble to others, not to use the phone for nearly a decade, I have long been used to.
In the early stage of 3D printing technology development, due to the lack of relevant technology accumulation, only the foreign open source printing system software can be applied. In order to understand the relevant principles more effectively and improve it, Yang Yusheng, who is a professional of accounting, used nearly half a year to master the work. The C++ language. And his concentrated work habits are probably one of the reasons why Yang Yusheng can keep up with the rapid pace of 3D printing technology and achieve certain achievements.
Industry: From the introduction of foreign technology to the growth of domestic independent 3D industry
After several trips to the United States to understand and learn 3D printing technology experience, Yang Yusheng is full of confidence in the application of 3D printing technology in the field of technology. In 2010, based on the maturity of the existing 2D printing industry, the organization began to organize research and development of 3D printing technology.
According to Yang Yusheng, because the domestic 3D printing technology was still in its infancy, the corresponding talents and resources were scarce, and the team experienced a long period of exploration until 2013, the first FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) prototype. Forming, but limited by the need to import printing consumables at that time, lack of independent operating system technology, business model is not mature, and later products are mainly exported.
In the past two years, 3D printing technology has gradually been introduced into manufacturing in specific fields, including the jewelry manufacturing industry that has formed a certain scale.
According to Yang Yusheng, the Yangtze River Delta region from Guangzhou Panyu to Shenzhen Buji has almost accepted most of the world's jewelry manufacturing orders. It is a complex and inefficient, traditional industrial high-precision DLP (Digital Light Processing, DLP). Digital light processing projection technology, which is a kind of stereo light curing technology) 3D printing technology provides a more efficient production method while meeting the process requirements. According to reports, the domestic jewelry processing and manufacturing plant has achieved the mass production scale of about 700 such 3D printers.
At the same time, the rise of industrial demand has also led to the development of the relevant tourism industry chain. Photosensitive resin materials that were difficult to find in China can now find better suppliers in China.
Product: Making a 3D printer involves a whole industrial chain
Xitong team's products with mass production capabilities include: desktop products based on FDM, SLA, DLP and other technologies, as well as upgraded models such as Formaker All-in-One and Mercury, supporting the RiverOS operating system and ABS ( 3D printing consumables such as resin), PLA (polylactic acid, biodegradable material).
At the same time, according to Yang Yusheng, the research and development and production of industrial-grade 3D printer products are also underway.
FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)
Specifically, FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) is the mainstream application technology at this stage, and its market share is high, mainly due to the ease of use of related technologies such as open source, printing materials such as ABS, PLA, and synthetic rubber. Gained and popularized.
Yang Yusheng further added that the disadvantage of this technology is mainly reflected in the printing fineness deviation, the horizontal surface may appear on the prototype surface; and the advantage lies in the wide selection of materials, which can imitate the performance of various materials.
SLA/DLP (Stereo-Lithography, laser stereolithography, commonly known as stereoscopic curing technology)
SLA/DLP has greatly improved the molding precision. According to official data, the Xitong DLP jewelry printer has an XY axis accuracy of 0.007mm and a Z-axis accuracy of 0.0075mm.
The technology mainly focuses the laser of specific intensity on the surface of the 3D printing material to make it solidify. The SLA molding is mainly the process of point-to-line and line-to-surface forming. The DLP technology mainly uses the digital light processing projection technology to project. The entire surface of the laser is focused onto the surface of the 3D printed material during projection. So DLP technology models print faster.
However, because the raw materials used in this technology are mainly liquid photosensitive resins, the current domestic market is 1000-2000 yuan / liter, although SLA / DLP technology performs well in printing accuracy, molding quality and production cycle, but Due to the high cost and operating environment requirements, it is not popular in the To C market.
Formaker All-in-One
The Formaker All-in-One, launched at an early bird price of 649 pounds (about 6214 yuan), is modular in design and integrates 3D printers, CNC engraving machines, laser cutting machines, PCB line platesetters, etc. The size is 225x145x150mm, double print head structure, and can print at the same time with 1.75mm PLA and ABS materials. In terms of performance, it can complete the basic machining processes involved in the prototype of different materials.
Threshold: more compatible operating system + more civilian cost
In addition to the limitations of printing technology and consumables, the printing accuracy of the finished product is also affected by its software performance. Yang Yusheng said that in fact, the threshold of 3D printing technology is not in the design and production of its hardware equipment, but in the optimization of the operating system. Improvements in scanning paths and calculation methods can effectively improve the scanning speed and accuracy, and reduce the failure rate.
To this end, Xitong has about 10 software development teams in London, England and Bangalore, India; through cooperation with the Wuhu Municipal Government of Anhui Province, it plans to establish about 1,000 square meters in the Spring Valley 3D Printing Industrial Park in Fanchang County, Wuhu City. M3's 3D printer manufacturing base.
Due to the numerous 3D modeling methods in the early stage, there are more than 10 kinds of CG design software, including mechanical design software represented by Pro and UG, industrial design by Rhino and Alias, and CG design software represented by 3DMAX and MAYA. And the scope of application of each software is equivalent to the popularity. Although the unified STL/OBJ format can be used in subsequent import, the shortcomings of the 3D model expression and lack of rendering are far from meeting the development requirements of 3D printing.
To a certain extent, the 3D printer operating system's recognition rate of various technologies and print file compatibility have also become a serious injury to 3D printing promotion and application. According to the wisdom of things, Microsoft, Autodesk and other upstream technology companies are also actively promoting a more comprehensive and compatible 3D printing file unified format.
According to Yang Yusheng, Xitong's self-developed RiverOS system can now be applied to mainstream technology printers such as SLS, SLA, EBM, and compatible with about 30% of 3D model format files. In terms of usage, users can upload unified RiverOS files to the printer or remote control.
At this stage, Xitong mainly uses online mode for sales. The average price of ordinary desktop-level 3D printers is about 5,000 yuan, and the price of SLA/DLP 3D printers will be controlled at 20,000 yuan. According to Yang Yusheng, the audience of the products is still mainly in the foreign market, mainly for foreign creators who lack the resources of the industry chain in the early stage of manufacturing, education and teaching, etc., domestic jewellery, lamps, Buddha statues and other sub-manufacturing industries. Communication is also underway.
Although Foxconn chairman Guo Taiming is talking about the "3D printing technology" in the first place, in the actual manufacturing application field, the 3D printing prototype does have poor compression and drop resistance, and can not achieve circuit connection and other defects.
However, according to the knowledge of the relevant industries, the technology still has a large market demand in primary and secondary education and training, university research institutions, primary hardware products and prototype manufacturing. At the same time, with the further maturity of related technologies and materials, it is expected that 3D printing technology will play a role in desktop and industrial applications by performing secondary processing such as surface metallization, electroplating, soldering, hot pressing and bonding. Out of its great value.
As Yang Yusheng said, it is too early to talk about the industrial revolution of 3D printing technology, but it is undeniable that its introduction is making subversive changes in the manufacturing methods of some sub-product areas.
Notes: How to balance the difference in the entrepreneurial environment of “Nanquan North Leg�
Different from the common intelligent hardware product development, 3D printing technology has a larger amount of capital investment in hardware and software technology accumulation and consumables. Yang Yusheng said that in the basic research and development stage of the previous three years, the company mainly relied on the profitability maintenance of the predecessor's 2D printer business, and successively invested about 15 million yuan. Until the mid-2013 mass production, the external capital began to enter. The 20-yuan B round of financing led by Xianghe Capital has been completed.
When talking about the differences between the North and South entrepreneurial environments, Yang Yusheng combined his own experience. Although the Southern Hardware Entrepreneurship Team has more solid industrial resources support, it is in the process of equity recruitment compared to the North team, which is more concentrated in the cultural and entrepreneurial environment. It is still relatively difficult.
The concept has been transformed into a product, and the investment at this stage is indeed more reliable, but at the same time, this way also allows the startup team to bear too much risk of innovation and entrepreneurship, which to some extent hampers the development of local innovation forces.
In terms of the interview experience of Zhizhi reporters in the north and the south, relying on the resources of universities and large Internet companies in the north, innovation and entrepreneurship are more likely to form group culture in Beijing, and information interaction and publicity are more efficient. Vision and dreams are The original intention of its entrepreneurship;
In the south, influenced by the style of technology companies headed by “Huawei†and “Daijiang Innovationâ€, the start-up team is more interested in profit and income generation, burying their heads in products and concentrating on technology, and product landing is the way out for entrepreneurship. The process is also more lonely and hard.
Of course, whether it is the height and forward-lookingness of “looking up to the starsâ€, or the hard work and focus of “muffling and making a fortuneâ€, it is indispensable in the process of entrepreneurship, breaking through the limitations of the environment and efficiently configuring the resources. In the meantime, we will not forget to adjust the direction in time while we are rushing to the road, so as to avoid the chaotic pit and achieve the target value faster.
(Editor)
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