How an industrial-grade 3D printer printed a much-needed valve handwheel on an oil and gas rig in Norway. This story is coming in frequently from smart factories around the world.

In late 2025, a handwheel on a key piece of equipment on a Norwegian oil and gas rig suddenly broke. Under the traditional model, replacement would have required a 12-month procurement cycle. But this time, engineers placed an order via a digital platform and just a few days later, a handwheel in PA12 material printed using the HP Multi Jet Fusion system was manufactured by a local service provider.

Behind this is a globalized manufacturing network of industrial 3D printing companies.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, 3D printing equipment of SANDI Technology is being sent to Italy, Turkey, Spain, South Korea and other countries. This company, which has been deeply cultivating the field of industrial-grade 3D printing for dozens of years, has realized a breakthrough in the overseas market from almost zero to accounting for 15% of the company's revenue in just one year.

Photo: SANTI TECHNOLOGY's industrial-grade 3D printing equipment shipment(Source: SANTI TECHNOLOGY)

As Xia Chunguang, co-founder of MoFang Precision, said, "The more precise a part is, the higher the cost of developing and producing it in the traditional way." This is precisely the core competitiveness of Chinese industrial 3D printing companies going overseas - they not only export products, but also export a new manufacturing paradigm.

01 Industry journey: from "laboratory" to "globalization"

The global 3D printing market is witnessing explosive growth. According to Mordor Intelligence, the global 3D printing market size is expected to exceed $110 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of more than 36% during 2025-2030.

The regional market landscape is distinct: North America accounted for 41.681 TP3T of global spending, while Asia-Pacific is expected to expand at a CAGR of 26.471 TP3T, making it the fastest growing region.

In this wave of globalization, Chinese industrial 3D printing enterprises present a unique path to the sea.

MoFang Precision's overseas experience is quite legendary. 2019, MoFang Precision displayed additive manufacturing equipment with a printing precision of up to 2 microns at an industrial exhibition in the U.S., which triggered onlookers.

Figure: Precision prototypes manufactured by Mofang Precision (source: internet data)

A foreign friend saw the print sample, one knee on the ground, close and carefully scrutinized for a long time. The breakthrough in precision allowed Mofang Precision to open up the market of developed countries.

In only 3 years, MoFang Precision has set up overseas branches in the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain and other places. In 4 years of going to sea, the products are exported to 35 countries, and the proportion of overseas sales reaches 50%.

SANDI Technology has chosen a different path. By mastering the four industrial-grade 3D printing technologies of SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), SLM (Selective Laser Melting), 3DP (Sand Printing), and BJ (Binder Jet), and exporting the equipment, SANDI TECH has precisely targeted the Eurasian market, where the demand for digital dentistry is strong and the price-performance ratio is sensitive.

Its overseas revenue soared from almost zero to $15% in a year, achieving a substantial breakthrough.

02 Path exploration: three sea lanes, four global playing styles

The paths of Chinese industrial 3D printing companies to the sea can be broadly categorized into three distinctive shipping lanes, and the success of SanDi Technology demonstrates the effectiveness of a hybrid model.

The first one is "technological conquest".

Mofang Precision relies on its self-developed "surface projection microstereolithography" technology to realize high-precision detail printing of 2 microns, and control the tolerance size in the range of +-10 microns. This technological breakthrough makes Mofang Precision the only company in the world to successfully provide high-precision additive manufacturing solutions.

Technological innovation has become the fulcrum for them to pry the global market.

Figure: Map of R&D and production of Mofang Precision equipment (Source: official website of Mofang Precision)

The second is "cost-disruptive".

Through supply chain consolidation, Intelligent Pie has been able to source display screens for light-curing 3D printing at a significantly lower price than the market price, and in 2019, they are launching the "Mars" series, which is the market's first device in the $300 range that combines 2K printing accuracy.

While the average pricing of domestic brands at the time was around $500, overseas brands were upwards of $1,000 USD.

Figure: ELEGOO DLP Light Curing 3D PrinterMARS 4 DLP (Source: ELEGOO website)

The third is "ecological networking".

Some companies have followed HP's model of building an Additive Manufacturing Network to enable localized production and rapid response by building a global manufacturing and service network, and Korall Engineering, along with partners such as HP, has achieved the ability to locally print and deliver spare parts in the oil and gas industry in a matter of days.

The fourth is a "technology + M&A hybrid".

SANDI Technology has taken a unique path combining technology and mergers and acquisitions. 2025, SANDI Technology acquired Shenzhen Shuanglong Dental Research Technology Co., Ltd, a company that specializes in high-end customized dentures. This move not only allows SANDI Technology to obtain the mature channels established by Shuanglong Dental Research covering more than 30 countries and regions in the world, such as America, Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, etc., but also take over all of its international certifications and customer resources in one go, realizing the leapfrog development of the process of going abroad.

Figure: Titanium alloy bridge (Source: Shenzhen Shuanglong Dental Research)

03 Cracking the Dilemma: Challenges and Responses on the Way to the Sea

The road of industrial 3D printing to the sea is not a smooth one, and enterprises need to face a series of challenges.

Trade barriers are the primary challenge.

Against the backdrop of the continued increase in U.S. tariff policies, China's industrial-grade 3D printer companies are facing multiple challenges such as surging export costs, supply chain restructuring and limited market access.

Certification bottlenecks should likewise not be ignored.

"Flight hardware such as turbine nozzles or pressurized valves must comply with rigorous fracture toughness and fatigue testing," reports Mordor Intelligence, "and the current rulebook is written for subtractive machining; as a result, additive parts undergo redundant sample testing, extending schedules by as much as 18 months."

In this regard, through the merger and acquisition of Shuanglong Dental Research, SanDi Technology has obtained the European Union CE, U.S. FDA and China's Class II medical device certification, paving the way for products to travel the international market.

Intellectual property risks follow.

As a technology-intensive industry, 3D printing companies face a complex IP environment, especially in mature markets in Europe and the United States.

In the face of these challenges, companies that have successfully gone overseas have adopted a variety of coping strategies.

Localization of supply chain layout is an effective means to deal with trade barriers. The study suggests that Chinese enterprises can optimize global capacity allocation through the distributed layout model of "regional manufacturing centers + localized manufacturing units".

SANDI has implemented lean management in all aspects of production to ensure the reliability and consistency of product quality. In addition, the company has reached strategic cooperation with a number of international high-quality logistics service providers to customize safe and efficient transportation solutions for each order, fully guaranteeing the timeliness and integrity of global equipment output.

Internationalization of technical standards is the key to break through the certification bottleneck. Mofang Precision's innovative ability has been recognized by the Prism Award, an authoritative award in the global optoelectronic science and technology industry, and in March 2021, Mofang Precision became the first company in China to win the award, beating two well-known U.S.-listed companies.

Market diversification is a strategic choice to diversify risks. Intelligent Pie Europe and the United States users accounted for 92%, but at the same time also sell products to more than 70 countries and regions around the world.

SANDI Technology, on the other hand, has accurately cut into high-growth markets such as Turkey and Spain. In Turkey, for example, the scale of its dental industry is expected to reach 5 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, dental tourism contributes 70% share, of which the 3D printing denture equipment orders increased year-on-year up to 55%, the market opportunity is huge.

04 Future strategy: from "product to sea" to value to sea

As the global 3D printing market continues to mature, Chinese companies are upgrading their overseas strategies.

Supply chain strategy is shifting from pure export to global capacity placement.

"Regionalized production networks" and "technology localization strategies" have become important means of coping with changes in the global trade environment. Some leading companies have begun to strategically locate in emerging economies such as Southeast Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

Technology development is showing a diversification trend.

Metal 2 micron high precision detail printing, and control the tolerance size in the range of +-10 micron, +-25 micron respectively.

Some of SANDI Technology's early equipment has been in continuous and stable operation for more than 20 years, which has earned it a very high level of trust in the market. The four core 3D printing technologies it has mastered can provide the mature technical assurance required for diversified manufacturing needs.

Market expansion extends from developed countries to emerging markets.

Asia Pacific has become the fastest growing region in the global 3D printing market, with the Chinese government's "Made in China 2025" policy driving the growth of local companies.

The business model has also evolved from single device sales to diversification.

Some organizations have begun to offer "print-by-the-hour" subscription services that combine maintenance, calibration and powder replenishment into a single invoice. This hybrid approach blurs the line between hardware and services, smoothing out revenue streams during macroeconomic cycles.

05 Future Outlook: From "Manufacturing to Overseas" to "Ecological Overseas"

The next stage of industrial 3D printing overseas will be the shift from product output to the construction of a global digital manufacturing ecosystem.

The digital supply chain is becoming a core competency.

Korall Engineering's approach heralds this trend - they identify key components, model modular systems, and automate the derivation of variants. These data sets are then made available to certified manufacturing partners via Korall's own Oktopus platform.

The transformation of servitization has become a value growth point.

The 3D printing services market is expected to outpace the hardware market at a CAGR of 25.21% from 2025 to 2030.Contract manufacturers such as Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, Materialise, and Protolabs utilize multi-site networks to distribute loads, allow customers to prototype in ten days and receive parts that meet ISO-13485 production standards.

A global collaborative network will be the ultimate form.

HP is connecting part requirements with its partner network through its Additive Manufacturing Network program. Similarly, Korall has partnered with HP, Assembrix and Sparely to implement a series of secure remote printing jobs.

Dozens of industrial-grade granular 3D printers are working 24/7 in an intelligent factory in Zhuhai. They are printing automotive parts and consumer products of different specifications according to orders from customers in Europe and North America.

On the workshop's electronic screen, a global production status map flashes in real time, marking manufacturing nodes spread across continents.

At the same time, SANDI's shipment list continues to grow with orders from Italy, Turkey, Spain and South Korea, witnessing the transformation of China's industrial 3D printing from technological catch-up to global leadership.

Zong Guisheng, founder of SANDI Technology, believes that from technological breakthroughs to global layout, we are redefining the position of Chinese manufacturing in the global industrial chain.

His eyes are reflecting the new chapter of China's industrial 3D printing overseas - that is not only the flow of products, but also the manufacturing paradigm, technical standards and industrial ecology of global integration. (Source: Zongguancun Public)