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Starting today, Aerospace 3D Printing has launched a new series titled “Chronicles of Founders in the 3D Printing Industry,” aiming to write about the stories of founders in this industry. Ultimately, the operation of a business is about people and teams. A powerful team will eventually achieve their own glory.We do not aim to deify anyone, but merely to examine whether there are traces to follow behind their luck.Background of the Enterprise3D printing was once hailed as the third industrial revolution in manufacturing. At that time, countless entrepreneurs, investors, and even media were filled with hope, believing that digital manufacturing was about to disrupt traditional industrial models. However, reality is far more complex than imagination.The true breakthrough of 3D printing lies in breaking free from the dependence on molds, achieving a revolution in manufacturing physical objects directly from digital files. However, from 1984 to 2015, this industry lived in “darkness.” Those with backgrounds in equipment dominated research and development, adapting existing materials to fit the equipment. Initially, there were photopolymer liquid materials, which were fragile; then came filament printing, which had limited performance; and later, powder sintering, which was costly and had unsatisfactory performance. For 30 years, 3D printing could only produce “rapid prototypes,” lacking mass production capabilities. Wang Wenbin, the founder of Suzhou Polly Polymer, previously worked in a research institute of a state-owned enterprise, engaging in the research and development of polymer materials in the construction field. He personally experienced the transition of this industry from the “old world” to the “new world.” In the state-owned enterprise laboratory, he witnessed the slow pace of the construction materials industry, which had remained unchanged for decades, contrasting sharply with the rapid iteration ideal of 3D printing. He explained that for thousands of years, manufacturing relied mainly on two methods—”subtractive processing,” such as CNC machining; or “material forming,” such as injection molding and casting, both of which depend on molds.Material BreakthroughIn 2017, he founded Polly Polymer, determined to redesign photosensitive resins from the molecular structure to break through the contradiction between material performance and formability. The early days of entrepreneurship were extremely difficult, with the team facing printing failures and technical bottlenecks for several years, but they did not give up. One night, an engineer fell asleep exhausted in front of the printer and woke up to find a successful print. This moment broke through the core difficulty and unraveled the coupling mechanism between materials and equipment. This innovation is essentially a revolution in manufacturing processing. Unlike traditional polymer processing, which only improves equipment and processes, Polly Polymer started from the chemical molecular level, designing liquid photosensitive resins specifically suitable for 3D printing. With just specific wavelength light exposure and the lifting of the printing platform, products can be formed layer by layer without the need for molds and injection molding machines, greatly simplifying the manufacturing process.Path to CommercializationThe path to commercialization was equally tortuous. Wang Wenbin admitted that initially, they had no idea who their customers were and focused solely on creating revolutionary materials. It wasn’t until they encountered the footwear industry, a market worth hundreds of billions, that they found a breakthrough. Previously, 3D printing shoes only printed the midsole, resulting in extremely high costs and a complex supply chain. They achieved the production of an entire shoe made from elastic materials in one piece, reducing costs to one-sixth of traditional 3D printing and breaking the reliance on traditional supply chains. The greatest advantage of 3D printed shoes is flexible production and the ability to manufacture complex structures, meeting the actual demand for cost reduction and efficiency improvement. The differences consumers experience are better breathability, cushioning, and health attributes. Through digital scanning and algorithms, 3D printing can also achieve true personalized customization, meeting the new trend of “data-defined comfort.”At the supply chain level, 3D printing eliminates molds and inventory, shortens production cycles, and realizes flexible manufacturing through “fast beating slow.” Wang Wenbin revealed that this year they expect to produce over 2 million pairs of shoes, which is a significant achievement in mass production within the 3D printing industry. The future goal is to achieve a 10% penetration rate in the 3D printed footwear market, representing a significant share of the global market of 24 billion pairs of shoes. In addition, 3D printing technology will expand its applications in various industries, including helmet liners, mattresses, pillows, seats, and even humanoid robots, showing immense potential. Wang Wenbin believes that in the short term, 3D printing will not replace traditional assembly line manufacturing but will complement and collaborate with it. However, in the long run, the widespread penetration of digital manufacturing will reshape the entire manufacturing landscape. ENDFor entrepreneurs, Wang Wenbin’s experience conveys four key insights:1. Deep innovation must start from fundamental materials; relying solely on equipment iteration cannot solve essential bottlenecks;2. The key to successful commercialization lies in cost reduction and meeting actual needs, rather than blindly pursuing technological leadership; 3. In the face of long-term technical challenges, persistence and patience are essential qualities for entrepreneurship;4. Digitalization and flexible production are the trends of future manufacturing; seizing entry points in niche markets will win the initiative.Those who break through in the new era will certainly accelerate the integration of technology and business, driving profound changes in the manufacturing industry. Every entrepreneur can draw strength from this winding and challenging path to find their own innovative channel.Note: This article is organized and edited by Aerospace 3D Printing. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
