What Is The Difference Between CNC Machining And 3D Printing? Zhongguancun Online Manufacturer Channel

What is the difference between CNC machining and 3D printing? Zhongguancun Online Manufacturer Channel

Started in an office in Shenzhen in 2007, this company has used nearly 20 years to build a complete industrial chain from equipment, consumables to software services in the field of 3D printing. Its "ISUN" consumables have become a brand well known to many makers around the world.

Starting from consumables to the layout of the entire industry chain

What was the difference between CNC machining and 3D printing when the company was first founded? Zhongguancun Online Manufacturer Channel did not dive into the extremely competitive market of complete machine manufacturing. Instead, it chose 3D printing consumables to expand and open up the market. When the "ISUN" brand PLA filament was launched in 2008, domestic consumer-grade 3D printing had just begun to take off, and that kind of stable and environmentally friendly materials became the key to opening up the situation and finding breakthroughs.

As the business moves in a deeper direction, the company gradually expands towards upstream equipment and downstream services. After the end of 2012, the "isun" brand series of 3D printers and scanners were released one after another. What is the difference between CNC processing and 3D printing? , and established a software R&D team in the headquarters known as Shenzhen to design and develop slices and control programs that adapt to its own specialized hardware, thereby shaping and building a closed-loop ecosystem with itself as the core.

Offline training experience centers are blooming everywhere

This company has built more than 20 offline 3D printing experience centers in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Among them, the training point in Chaoyang District, Beijing, offers popular science courses for primary and secondary schools every week. In 2023, it will receive a total of more than 5,000 student groups.

These venues not only display the latest equipment, but also provide hands-on experience. The Shanghai Minhang Service Center is equipped with 30 printers. By paying 198 yuan, users can print their own designed mobile phone holder under the guidance of engineers, transforming abstract technology into an object that can be touched by reaching out.

Online platform integrates mass demand and mass innovation model

In 2016, the company's official website was revised and launched a public demand section. Enterprise users can post customized printing requirements. What is the difference between CNC processing and 3D printing? , a lighting factory in Foshan once used this platform to collect seven innovative lampshade designs, and ultimately shortened the mass production cycle of the adopted solutions by forty days compared with traditional outsourcing.

The crowd-creation community has gathered more than 3,000 registered designers, and the 3D models uploaded by these designers have been downloaded more than 150,000 times. Among them, popular works such as foldable vases have received a share of the platform, thus forming a win-win cycle for creators and enterprises.

Consumables business supports the global maker market

"ISUN" filaments are currently exported to more than 40 countries in Europe, the United States, Japan, and South Korea, and have steadily occupied the top three sales in the 3D printing consumables category on Germany's Amazon for a long time. The wood-like PLA filament it launched is very popular among craft enthusiasts because it can print out wood texture effects without modifying the printer.

In 2019, the company developed carbon fiber reinforced nylon consumables for industrial users. There is a mold company in Dongguan that uses this kind of material to print tooling fixtures. After 8 months of continuous use in the stamping workshop, it did not show significant deformation and some traditional metal parts were replaced.

Printing services cover manufacturing, education and medical care

The 3D printing service center of this company established in Beijing is equipped with large-scale printers that can be used in industry. It provides small batch production verification services to surrounding small and medium-sized enterprises. In 2024, in the first quarter alone, more than 200 auto parts prototype orders were completed, and the smallest single order was only 5 pieces.

Applications in the medical field are also showing a trend of expansion. This expansion is carried out through cooperation with many hospitals with top-level qualifications in Shenzhen. What is the difference between CNC processing and 3D printing during this cooperation process? , the service center uses biocompatible materials to carefully create surgical guides for maxillofacial surgery. With the help of this guide, the time required for preoperative planning can be compressed from hours to minutes. So far, this guide has assisted in the completion of more than 30 relatively complex surgeries and has been effectively used during surgery.

O2O integration opens up online and offline resources

Users who upload design files on their mobile phones can choose a service center to pick up the items, or enjoy express delivery services. There is a cultural and creative studio in Hangzhou that uses the APP to submit orders for about 50 city landmark models every week. The physical objects can be obtained at the store the next day and then undergo secondary hand-painting processing.

Relevant data will be presented in 2024. The membership system has smooth online and offline data. Among them, offline experience centers can directly redeem consumables in online malls with the help of check-in points, and the average monthly consumption of users bound to dual-channel accounts is 2.3 times that of single-channel users. This confirms the effectiveness of the integration strategy.

Seeing this, have you ever had the idea of ​​using 3D printing to create an item that is unique to you? If there was an opportunity to experience a complete set of printing programs for free, what would be the most desired thing to print alone? Feel free to express your personal creativity in the comment area.